Bill > S1256

This bill, titled the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act of 2013, aims to preserve the effectiveness of medically important antimicrobials, which are crucial drugs used to treat both human and animal diseases, by amending the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The bill establishes that when seeking approval for new uses of medically important antimicrobials in animals, or for existing ones, applicants must demonstrate that there is no reasonable certainty of harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which can be caused by the non-therapeutic use of these drugs in animals. Non-therapeutic use is defined as using these drugs for purposes like growth promotion or disease prevention rather than treating a specific illness. The bill mandates a phased elimination of such non-therapeutic uses in food-producing animals, allowing for exceptions only if the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines there's no reasonable certainty of harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, it places limitations on using these important antimicrobials for "nonroutine disease control," a term referring to preventative use in animals not currently sick but at risk due to specific circumstances, requiring such use to be minimal, short-term, and targeted. Finally, the bill includes a "Sense of the Senate" provision, recommending that a strong veterinarian-client-patient relationship should exist to ensure medically important antimicrobials are used responsibly and according to professional best practices.