October 28, 2013

EU has reported a decrease of 0.4% to 28% in sales of veterinary antimicrobials, based on the sales data submitted by 19 EU nations for the 2010-11 period.

The data is extracted from a report published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the sales of veterinary antimicrobials in 25 countries during 2011. The report is one of the main deliverables of the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) project based at EMA.

A total of 25 EU and European Economic Area (EEA) countries have submitted data to the EMA, marking a further improvement to the 2010 report, as these countries account for approximately 95% of the food-producing animal population in the EU and EEA.

A continuation of this trend could suggest that initiatives such as responsible-use campaigns, restrictions of use, increased awareness of the threat of antimicrobial resistance and the setting of targets for use reduction in EU Member States, are starting to have an impact in terms of reducing the overall sale of antimicrobials in the veterinary sector.

As recognised by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) in the CVMP strategy on antimicrobials 2011-15, the responsible use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine is a key factor in minimising the risk of the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Collecting accurate data on the sales of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals has been identified as the first step to support the development and monitoring of policies to minimise the risk of antibiotic resistance in the food chain.

The report will be used by risk assessors and managers in the EU to inform antimicrobial policy and the responsible use of antimicrobials. The report has been published alongside a revised ESVAC reflection paper on collecting data on the consumption of antimicrobial agents per animal species, on technical units of measurement and indicators for reporting consumption of antimicrobial agents in animals.

The ESVAC project was launched by the EMA following a request from the European Commission to develop a harmonised approach to the collection and reporting of data on the use of antimicrobial agents in animals from EU states.