Antibiotic Sales for Use in Food Animals Increased Again in 2019

Sales of medically important antibiotics for use in food-producing animals increased 3% in 2019, according to recent data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is the second year in a row that the quantities of antibiotics sold for animal use have risen, underscoring the need for further FDA action to ensure judicious use of these lifesaving drugs.

In 2017, FDA advanced several policies that were followed by an encouraging drop in the sales of antibiotics for use in animal agriculture, including those important for treating people. Implementation of FDA guidance prohibiting the use of these antibiotics for animal growth promotion uses and requiring veterinary oversight probably contributed to a 41% decrease in their sales between 2015 and 2017. However, for the past two years, sales of these drugs—many of which are also used to treat serious human disease—have crept back up.