NPPC: ‘Clean’ Drug-Review Law Called for
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Pork Producers Council has urged Congress to reauthorize an animal-drug review law, to approve a new generic animal-drug review statute and to pass both measures without amendments that would make it more difficult to keep animals healthy.
10 July 2008
3 minute read
The Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA), first enacted in 2003, allows FDA to collect fees from the animal health industry for the review and approval of animal health products. The fees supplement the agency’s annual congressionally-approved appropriations and have enabled FDA to dramatically reduce its review time for new animal drugs, bringing medications to the market more quickly while maintaining high standards for safety and effectiveness. The Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA) would do the same for generic animal drugs.
| * "NPPC will be very aggressive in lobbying Congress for a quick, clean reauthorization of this important law,” added Black. “ADUFA is a top priority for the U.S. pork industry." |
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NPPC President Bryan Black
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Congressional debate about the ADUFA reauthorization has included the issue of antibiotic resistance and the possibility that antibiotics used in livestock are contributing to antibiotic resistance in people. Some lawmakers have indicated support for adding language to the reauthorization bill that would ban the use in livestock of certain antibiotics.
But the American Veterinary Medical Association recently testified that risk assessment is the proper basis for making policy decisions about antibiotic use in animal agriculture. Indeed, many quantitative risk assessments have been done on antibiotic products used to keep animals healthy, all showing extremely low levels of risk to human health.
Since ADUFA was signed into law, four new swine health products have come on the market, helping producers fight the increasing challenges that swine respiratory diseases have created for the industry. Additionally, last year alone, veterinarians and pet owners received nine new products to help pets live longer, healthier lives.
“ADUFA ensures that animal health companies are able to provide in a timely manner products to treat and control the new diseases that our animals will face,” said NPPC President Bryan Black, a pork producer from Canal Winchester, Ohio. “It’s a critical tool needed by the pork industry and veterinarians to maintain animal health and to provide safe, wholesome and nutritious pork.
“NPPC will be very aggressive in lobbying Congress for a quick, clean reauthorization of this important law,” added Black. “ADUFA is a top priority for the U.S. pork industry.”
