OTC Antimicrobials transition to Rx

Reason: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to slow down the build-up of resistance to antibiotics by limiting the use of Antimicrobials in the human and animal world. This will end the sales of OTC Antimicrobials starting June 11^th.

Whom will this affect: This will affect anyone with food animals, from backyard chickens to livestock farms.

What drugs will be affected: Here is the full list of drugs affected - List of Approved New Animal Drug Applications Affected by GFI #263 | FDA

Mostly everything with these main ingredients - Cephapirin, cephapirin, benzathine, Lincomycin, Oxytetracycline, Penicillin G procaine, penicillin G benzathine, Sulfadimethoxine, Sulfamethazine, Tylosin

How should you prepare for this change: The first step is to find a vet in your area who is taking on new clients. Here is a link to find vets in your area- https://nysvms.org/ -On the top right, click on “Pet Owners”. After clicking the “Pet Owners” tab, click on “Find a Hospital”, click on “Filters” and then click on “Species”, that is where to find the drop-down for Large animals as well as small ruminants, etc.

Resources to help with this change:

• NYS Cattle Health Assurance Program (NYSCHAP) https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/programs/nyschap. Scroll down to find the list of NYS field veterinarians and the counties they cover. They may have a list of private practice veterinarians for their region.

• Resources from the Beef Quality Assurance Program, https://www.bqa.org/resources/updated-antibiotic-guidelines

• John May Farm Safety Fund - https://www.nycamh.org/programs-and-services/john-may-farm-safety-fund.php. Potential funding for animal handling equipment.

• NYS Grown & Certified - https://certified.ny.gov/. Once certified, a farm can apply for funding through New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research, and Development Grant Program

Last updated June 7, 2023