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In Germany, the amount of antibiotics dispensed in veterinary medicine fell slightly again in 2023. According to the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), 529 tons of antibiotics were dispensed to veterinarians and other recipients, the lowest figure since records began in 2011.
Since 2023, legal changes have mandated that not only antibiotics supplied to veterinarians by pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers be recorded, but also those distributed to pharmacies, veterinary authorities, and universities. The figures can therefore only be compared with those of previous years to a certain extent. In total, 11 t less (-2.1%) antibiotics were reported to the BVL in 2023 than in 2022. Compared to 2011, the dispensing volume of antibiotics has decreased by 69%.
As in previous years, in 2023, penicillins (206 t) and tetracyclines (104 t) represented the most dispensed antibiotics. They were followed by sulfonamides (57 t), macrolides (51 t), aminoglycosides (36 t), and polypeptide antibiotics (33 t).
Of the antibiotics classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as highest priority and critically important antimicrobials for human medicine, significantly lower quantities of 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins (0.8 t; -24.4%) and polypeptide antibiotics (colistin; 33 t; -24.7%) were dispensed than in the previous year. The quantities dispensed of fluoroquinolones saw a slight increase of 0.1 t (+2.2%) compared to the previous year.
According to the European Commission's “farm to fork” strategy, antibiotic use in animal husbandry is to be halved across Europe between 2018 and 2030. In Germany, sales of antibiotics in veterinary medicine have already been reduced by 27% between 2018 and 2023.
October 7, 2024/ BVL/ Germany.
https://www.bvl.bund.de/
