IMPORTANT Penicillin Products Update
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is currently conducting a review of all antibiotics, starting with those containing penicillin, in relation to the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) work programme and helping to ensure the prudent use of antibiotics within the veterinary industry. They are comprehensively reviewing products looking at efficacy (how well it works), target animal safety (that it is not toxic to the animal and is safe for use under the defined conditions), residue risk profile (that the maximum limit of it milk and meat following its use is acceptable) and label information. All of the penicillin reassessments are now complete, however some changes are still being finalised with the registrant companies and therefore are still pending final label approval.
As such, we thought it timely to give you an update on the recent alterations. These include changes in some dose rates, treatment recommendations and withholding periods for a number of products containing the antibiotic penicillin. Historically the dose rates that have been employed for the affected products have been used since they were very first registered, most many years ago! The new dose rates, and resultant changes in withholds, now more accurately reflect the doses we have long been recommending!
Products that we stock that have been affected are:
· Betamox LA
· Depocillin
· Duplocillin LA
· Intracillin 1000 MC
· Intracillin 300 injection
· Intracillin LA
· Phoenix Pharmacillin 300
So, a number of penicillin based antibiotics will have updated labelling and/or may have a sticker placed on top of the old label. As a Practice, we have updated all of the products on our data base and your RVM script for the 2023-2024 reflects the changes. Please ensure you read labels and your RVM prescription details carefully to avoid any issues.
If you are unsure at all, or would like any specific details of the changes, please don’t hesitate to give The Dairy Vet Team a call!