[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 81 (Monday, June 10, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ANIMAL DRUG AND ANIMAL GENERIC DRUG USER FEE REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 
                                  2013

                                 ______
                                 

                               SPEECH OF

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 3, 2013

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I oppose the Animal Drug and Animal 
Generic Drug User Fee Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 622).
  While the Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee 
Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 622) will improve the FDA's ability to 
evaluate and process the approval of drugs for use in animals, it fails 
to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to also address the 
growing overuse of antibiotics fed to our nation's livestock that ends 
up on our dinner tables.
  According to the New York Times article of June 2, 2013 (``Pressure 
Grows to Create Drugs for `Superbugs' ''), America is facing a 
worsening crisis in which drug development has not kept pace with the 
growth of resistant bacterial strains. More than 70,000 Americans die 
each year from antibiotic resistant infections. Scientists agree that 
antibiotic overuse, including in animals and on farms, is a contributor 
to development of resistant bacteria. Congress must start to address 
the looming public health crisis posed by the combination of a shortage 
of effective antibiotics and a rising threat of antibiotic-resistant 
bacteria.
  Congress needs to direct the FDA to develop better means of data 
collection and research on antibiotic use in both humans and animals. 
Without this information, we cannot fully understand the breadth and 
depth of this issue and its impact on our health. Reducing unnecessary 
overprescribing and overuse of antibiotics in an appropriate manner is 
an important step to improve both human and animal health. I urge my 
colleagues to vote no.

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