EMA Report Shows Continued Efforts by European Countries to Reduce Antibiotic Use in Animals

A recently published European Medicines Agency (EMA) report has demonstrated that there are continued efforts being made across Europe to reduce the amount of antibiotics used in animals, it was revealed in an Oct. 15, 2019 press release.

Presenting data from 31 countries throughout the European Economic Area and including Switzerland, the report showed that between 2011 and 2017 overall sales of veterinary antibiotics dropped by nearly a third (32%). Of particular import were the reductions seen in two classes of antibiotics that are used in human medicine to treat serious infections caused by resistant bacteria. These two classes were polymyxins-sales of which dropped by 66%-and cephalosporins-for which sales dropped by more than 20%. These latest report findings are in line with the trend being witnessed in the region over the past few years and highlight the impact European Union guidance and national campaigns are having on reducing overuse of antibiotics. 

The report forms part of the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) project. Participation in the project has grown substantially since 2010 (rising from 9 countries to 31), which further demonstrates the commitment from European countries to use antibiotics responsibly. However, it was also noted that three countries included in the report actually saw an increase in the sales of antibiotics of more than 5%, which indicates there is the potential for more substantially decreases in the use of antimicrobials in the future.

More detailed information on the report can be found on EMA’s website.

Source: EMA