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More Antiobiotic Resistant Illness Coming Right Up

WEDNESDAY APRIL 18 2007 6:00 PM

Submitted by Bitch_PhD. Edited By erin_broadley.

TAGS: antiobiotics, medicine, FDA

Folks who were interested in FearTheReaper's post about antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea might find this little news story worth reading. The FDA is planning on approving one of the last-resort antibiotics for use in cattle -- despite the fact that there are a dozen other drugs that work on bovine respiratory disease (the disease the drug's to be used for), while the drug in question is a version of

the only effective treatment for serious infections in cancer patients and a reliable lifesaver against several other nearly invincible infections.

Humans have one last-ditch antibiotic, which the Feds are about to approve for use in cows -- who have twelve other drugs to treat the same illness.

Even better: once approved, there's nothing keeping people from putting the drug into cattle feed as a preventative.

Being realists, the FDA advisers in September said more than just no. They told the FDA that if it approves cefquinome, then it should at least impose limits to minimize the potential consequences. One suggestion was to explicitly preclude "off label" use of the drug -- that is, to tell veterinarians that it can be used only for bovine respiratory disease.

But Sundlof said that, under FDA rules, those decisions must be left up to veterinarians unless there is clear evidence that wider use is causing harm. . . . raising a point that opponents do not find very reassuring, he noted: "As soon as we have the first glimpse of evidence that off-label use of a drug is causing resistance, we have the authority to prohibit off-label use."

Of course, by that point, the horse -- er, I mean, cow -- will be out of the barn.

Bitch_PhD thinks even antibiotic soap should only be available to people who need it, and that using Purell is an anti-social act.

26 Comments

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SignalNoise

Chicago, IL

February 2004

APR 18, 2007 06:07 PM

My wife foams at the mouth about this stuff - and advocates the use of a lot of bleach in our household.

SmellsLikeSciFi

Houston, TX

April 2004

APR 18, 2007 06:11 PM

Antibacterials will be the doom of the human race. Period.

KingMike

Westfield, NY

October 2006

APR 18, 2007 06:18 PM

I remember seeing on the news the head of the CDC advising NOT to use anti-bacterial soap, and saying how hard it was to find soap that didn't have anti-bacterial stuff in it. If there ever was any reason for me to become a vegetarian, this would probably be it.

sixtyfootqueenie

Australia

January 2004

APR 18, 2007 06:52 PM

baking soda and vinegar will take care of all the cleaning needs of your household.. do not use anything antibacterial.... good elbow grease is all you need! stop using soap period!

unfiltrator

San Francisco, CA

April 2004

APR 18, 2007 07:02 PM

I thought it said anti-robotic.

grayness

Newberry, SC

January 2006

APR 18, 2007 07:24 PM

Purell uses ethyl alcohol as its germicide, for heavens sake. I am going to remain absolutely, resolutely antisocial, and let you be nice and social and catch all the nasty colds you like...

geo35

Minneapolis, MN

January 2003

APR 18, 2007 07:25 PM

sixtyfootqueenie said:
baking soda and vinegar will take care of all the cleaning needs of your household.. do not use anything antibacterial.... good elbow grease is all you need! stop using soap period!

Yep. I started this regimen a loooong time ago.

punk

Phoenix, AZ

January 2004

APR 18, 2007 07:28 PM

I can't wait until super-viruses take over the world! This is what happens when we fuck with stuff we think we understand. I can't help but wonder how many technologies and medicines we've created are having an adverse affect on the things around us, but we don't know it.

I don't think it'll be a world war, terrorists, an asteroid or global warming that wipes us out. It'll be something small. Like the loss of bees. Or an infection.

Sofabutt

I'm lost

April 2007

APR 18, 2007 07:30 PM

publicAnemone said:
I thought it said anti-robotic.

Yeah me too... Must have been the alcohol I imbibed before I read the headline.

If anyone listens to the FDA anymore they are making a serious mistake. The FDA can't keep up with anything anymore and they are paid by the pharmaceutical industry and so will never make a judgment against anything harmfull to the populace unless it can't be avoided.

It's all about the money. Placing your trust in a government agency is a big mistake.

Judecca

Oakland, CA

April 2006

APR 18, 2007 07:41 PM

so i guess for all the hippies.....anti microbial is out of the question............for all you against antibiotical and microbial soaps better think twice before getting tattooed......every thing in a shop is cleaned with enough anti-shit that even toxic avenger would cring.......