In the lead-up to European Antibiotic Awareness Day (18 November), HCWH Europe has launched a petition for European healthcare professionals to call on the European Commission to ban colistin in EU food production and meat imports, safeguarding this last resort antimicrobial for human health.
Colistin is widely used to treat infections caused by gram-negative bacteria resistant to carbapenems. But despite its importance for human health, colistin is still used in food production to sustain intensive farming practices, for example in piglets that develop neonatal diarrhea because they have been weaned early for profitability.
In January 2022, the new EU Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation will enter into force, introducing new rules on veterinary medicinal products to better tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As part of this regulation, the European Commission will develop a list of antimicrobials to be banned in food production. This ban will also apply to imported food, establishing an important international standard.
To make sure colistin is included on this list and reserved for human health, healthcare professionals can voice their concerns through HCWH Europe’s new petition, and help stop the spread of AMR.