USA: Antimicrobials sold or distributed for use in food producing animals in 2014

Each year, every sponsor of an approved or conditionally approved application for a new animal drug containing an antimicrobial active ingredient must report to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the amount of each such ingredient in these drug products sold or distributed for use in food-producing animals. FDA summarizes this information and makes it available to the public in annual summary reports. This summary report presents the sales and distribution data for the 2014 calendar year for antimicrobial drugs approved for use in food -producing animals. This 2014 summary report also includes multiple years of domestic sales and distribution data of actively marketed antimicrobial drugs by medical importance, route of administration, and drug class, as well as observations on the changes in the sales and distribution of these drugs for 2014 compared with 2009, and changes in the sales and distribution of these drugs for 2014 compared with 2013.

Several observed trends include:

• Domestic sales and distribution of antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals increased by 22% from 2009 through 2014, and in creased by 4% from 2013 through 2014.
• In 2014, domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials accounted for 62% of the domestic sales of all antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals. Tetracyclines accounted for 70% of these sales, penicillins for 9%, macrolides for 7%, sulfas for 5%, aminoglycosides for 3%, lincosamides for 2%, and cephalosporins and flu oroquinolones each for less than 1%.
• Domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals increased by 23 % from 2009 through 2014, and increased by 3% from 2013 through 2014.
  • Tetracycline sales represent the largest volume of these domestic sales (6,600,849 kg in 2014), increasing by 25% from 2009 through 2014, and increasing 1% from 2013 through 2014.
  • Lincosamide sales volume showed the greatest percentage increase in domestic sales (150%) from 2009 through 2014, while sulfas sales volume showed t he greatest percentage increase in domestic sales (18%) from 2013 through 2014.
• The percentage of domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals that have an approved indication for production use decreased from 72% to 68% from 2009 through 2012, but then remained unchanged at 72% from 2013 through 2014. This number does not represent sales attributable to products used solely for production indications because most of these products are also approved for therapeutic indications.
• The percentage of domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals that are sold over-the-counter (OTC) did not appreciably change from 2009 through 2014, going from 98% to 97%.