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The annual report on the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) published by EMA shows that European countries continue to reduce the use of antibiotics in animals. The overall sales of veterinary antibiotics in European countries dropped by more than 34% between 2011 and 2018.
Also, total sales of certain veterinary antimicrobial agents belonging to antibiotic classes that are considered critically important in human medicine noticeably decreased between 2011 and 2018. These classes include antibiotics used to treat serious infections in humans caused by bacteria resistant to most other antibiotic treatments. Sales of third- and fourth- generation cephalosporins dropped by 24%, polymyxins dropped by 70%, fluoroquinolones decreased by 4% and sales of other quinolones dropped by 74%. The use of these antibiotics in animals should be restricted to mitigate the risk to public health, according to the Antimicrobial Advice ad hoc Expert Group (AMEG) categorisation.
“The steady decrease in sales of veterinary antibiotics over ten years shows that Europe is on the right track to fight antimicrobial resistance,” said Ivo Claassen, Head of EMA’s Veterinary Medicines Division. “EU guidance and national campaigns promoting prudent use of antibiotics in animals are having a positive effect.”
These measures include national action plans to reduce the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance, national campaigns for prudent use of antibiotics in animals, sales targets, restrictions on use of certain antimicrobials in food-producing animals, or measures to control prescription of antibiotics in animals.
The ESVAC report presents data from 30 countries from the European Economic Area and Switzerland. All participating countries voluntarily provided information on sales of veterinary antibiotics for 2018.
October 21, 2020/ European Medicines Agency/ European Union.
https://www.ema.europa.eu/
