[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 17, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3179-S3180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID (for Mr. Kennedy (for himself and Ms. Snowe)):
  S. 619. A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to 
preserve the effectiveness of medically important antibiotics used in 
the treatment of human and animal diseases; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today we face growing concerns about 
infectious disease which few could have anticipated. Over a half 
century ago, following the development of modern antibiotics, Nobel 
Laureate Sir McFarland Burnet summed up what many experts believed when 
he stated, ``One can think of the middle of the twentieth century as 
the end of one of the most important social revolutions in history, the 
virtual elimination of infectious diseases as a significant factor in 
social life''.
  How things have changed! Today many of the world's greatest killers 
are infectious diseases--including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria--and 
increasingly our Nation is susceptible. We have concerns about both 
natural pandemics--such as those caused by influenza--as well as 
manmade threats.
  At the same time that the threat has grown, we have seen an alarming 
trend as existing antibiotics are becoming less effective in treating 
infections. We know that resistance to drugs can be developed, and that 
the more we expose bacteria to antibiotics, the more resistance we will 
see. So it is critical to address preserving the lifesaving antibiotic 
drugs we have today so that they will be of use in treating disease 
when they are needed.
  Today over 9 out of 10 Americans understand that resistance to 
antibiotics is a problem. Most Americans have learned that colds and 
flu are caused by viruses, and recognize that treating a cold with an 
antibiotic is inappropriate. Our health care providers are more careful 
to discriminate when to use antibiotics, because they know that when a 
patient who has been inappropriately prescribed an antibiotic actually 
develops a bacterial infection, it is more likely to be resistant to 
treatment.
  When we overuse antibiotics, we risk eliminating the very cures which 
scientists fought so hard to develop. The threat of bioterrorism 
amplifies the danger. We have supported increased NIH research funding, 
as well as bioshield legislation, in order to promote development of 
essential drugs, both to address natural and manmade threats. It is so 
counterproductive to develop antimicrobial drugs and see their misuse 
render them ineffective.
  Yet every day in America antibiotics continue to be used in huge 
quantities when there is no disease present to treat. I am speaking of 
the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in agriculture. Simply put, the 
practice of feeding antibiotics to healthy animals jeopardizes the 
effectiveness of these medicines in treating ill people and animals.
  Recognizing the public health threat caused by antibiotic resistance, 
Congress in 2000 amended the Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act 
to curb antibiotic overuse in human medicine. Yet today, it is 
estimated that 70 percent of the antimicrobials used in the United 
States are fed to farm animals for nontherapeutic purposes including 
growth promotion, poor management practices and crowded, unsanitary 
conditions.
  In March 2003, the National Academies of Sciences stated that a 
decrease in antimicrobial use in human medicine alone will not solve 
the problem of drug resistance. Substantial efforts must be made to 
decrease inappropriate overuse of antibiotics in animals and 
agriculture.
  Four years ago five major medical and environmental groups--the 
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, 
Environmental Defense, the Food Animal Concerns Trust and the Union of 
Concerned Scientists--jointly filed a formal regulatory petition with 
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urging the agency to withdraw 
approvals for

[[Page S3180]]

seven classes of antibiotics which are used as agricultural feed 
additives. They pointed out what we have known for years--that 
antibiotics which are crucial to treating human disease should never be 
used except for their intended purpose--to treat disease.
  In a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, 
researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 17 
percent of drug-resistant staph infections had no apparent links to 
health-care settings. Nearly one in five of these resistant infections 
arose in the community--not in the health care setting. While must do 
more to address inappropriate antibiotic use in medicine, the use of 
these drugs in our environment cannot be ignored.
  Most distressingly, we have seen the USDA issue a fact sheet on the 
recently recognized link between antimicrobial drug use in animals and 
the methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureas, MRSA, infections in 
humans. These infections literally threaten life and limb!
  So it should be clear why I have joined with Senator Kennedy in again 
introducing the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. 
Senator Kennedy is truly a champion of public health and understands 
how critical it is to preserve the drugs we must have in our arsenal to 
combat infectious diseases. I am honored to join with him in an effort 
to preserve vital drugs and reduce the development of drug-resistant 
organisms which threaten human health.
  This bill phases out the nontherapeutic uses of critical medically 
important antibiotics in livestock and poultry production, unless their 
manufacturers can show that they pose no danger to public health.
  Our legislation requires the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw 
the approval for nontherapeutic agricultural use of antibiotics in 
food-producing animals if the antibiotic is used for treating human 
disease, unless the application is proven harmless within 2 years. The 
same tough standard of safety will apply to new applications for 
approval of animal antibiotics.
  This legislation places no unreasonable burden on producers. It does 
not restrict the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals, or for that 
matter to treat pets and other animals not used for food.
  As we are constantly reminded, the discovery and development of a new 
drug can require great time and expense. It is simply common sense that 
we preserve the use of the drugs which we already have, and use them 
appropriately. I call on my colleagues to support us in this effort.
                                 ______