US sales of medically important antimicrobials increase for use in livestock in 2019

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine published the 2019 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals. The report shows that domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials approved for use in food producing animals increased by three percent between 2018 and 2019. The trend over time indicates that ongoing efforts to support antimicrobial impact are having an impact: sales and distribution are down 25 percent since 2010 and down 36 percent since 2015, which was the peak year of sales.

The domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials approved for use in
food-producing animals for 2019 included:

• An estimated 42% was intended for use in swine, an estimated 41% intended for use in cattle, an estimated 10% intended for use in turkeys, an estimated 3% intended for use in chickens, and an estimated 4% intended for use in other species/unknown.
• Tetracyclines accounted for 67%, penicillins for 12%, macrolides for 8%, sulfas for 5%, aminoglycosides for 5%, lincosamides for 2%, cephalosporins for less than 1%, and fluoroquinolones for less than 1%.
• An estimated 85% of lincosamides and 40% of macrolides were intended for use in swine.

While sales data do not necessarily reflect actual use of antimicrobial drugs, sales volume observed over time is a valuable indicator of market changes related to antimicrobial drug products intended for food-producing animals.

FDA recognizes that fluctuations in sales volume may occur over time in response to various factors, including changing animal health needs or changes in animal populations. Given the substantial change that occurred with transitioning a large number of products containing medically important antimicrobials from over-the-counter use to a marketing status requiring veterinary oversight at the beginning of 2017, some rebound in the reported sales volume in subsequent years was not unexpected as affected stakeholders adjusted to the new requirements.