Antibiotic Colistin to soon be banned for livestock use

Taking precautions, FSSAI will soon make it illegal to use the antibiotic among animals that provide food for human consumption

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will soon ban the usage of the antibiotic, Colistin, in veterinary drugs for food producing livestock. This comes after the observation that consumers were developing resistance to the antibiotic due to irregular usage among food-producing animals, poultry, aqua-farming and animal feed supplements.

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Colistin is a crucial last-resort option for multidrug-resistant infections. Colistin is an antibiotic which helps to treat drug resistant infections for pneumonia and STDs among other things. Earlier, the Union Government has also issued an advisory about regulating the use of the medicine. But, taking precautions, FSSAI will soon make it illegal to use the antibiotic among animals that provide food for human consumption.

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"There is a need for strict regulations on the antibiotics given to livestock. Because, when humans consume their products, they pass through them making them resistant to the drug. "This affects their treatment. Colistin is considered the last hope for patients suffering from Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-negative bacteria. So, this cap is essential for the long run," said a senior officer from FSSAI-Maharashtra who has received the draft of the regulation from the headquarters in Delhi.

Veterinary doctors, too, raised the need for more regularised use of antibiotics among livestock. "If more people start developing resistance to antibiotics, it would be tough to save lives. We have often seen people buy antibiotics over the counter to give their livestock. There is no parameter or regulations followed," said Dr JP Khanna, director of the Parel Veterinary Hospital.

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