In 1996 the Department of Agriculture, through the now defunct Sub-committee on Veterinary Drugs(SCVD), banned the use of lower doses of antibiotics for growth promotion in livestock and poultry. Novartis Animal Health was one of the first veterinary drug companies to heed this government directive by revising the label information of its various antibiotic products and deleting the doses specific for growth promotion.
Before the ban on antibiotic growth promotants, it was customary for locally marketed antibiotic products for veterinary use to have three doses – one for treatment, another for prevention, and third for growth promotion. In a short time after the official ban on antibiotic growth promotants, Novartis launched a nationwide campaign on rational and judicious use of antibiotics in food animals through technical seminars and roundtable discussions with swine and poultry producers.
In 1998, on the occasion of the 15th International Pig Veterinary Society (IPVS) Congress in Birmingham, England, Novartis sponsored a lecture on the responsible use of antibiotics in pig medicine, with renowned microbiologist and author of Pig Diseases Dr. David J. Taylor as speaker. This was followed by similar seminars and lectures held in various local and other international forums. Since then, Novartis has always been active in promoting judicious use of antibiotics in food animals.
Popularity: 9%
