US Restricts Antibiotics in Animals

From the "it's about time" department: the New York Times reports that the FDA is restricting the use of cephalosporins in livestock feed, in order to slow down the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. (Recent studies have shown that such resistant bacteria are indeed passed from feed animals to human beings.) Cephalosporins are a class of antibiotic widely used to treat strep, pneumonia, UTIs, skin infections and childhood bacterial infections. Europe banned the use of several antibiotics important in human medicine in 1998; banned the use of all antibiotics for growth-enhancement of livestock in 2006; and has recently moved to ban all prophylactic use of antibiotics in feed animals.

Republicans De-fund Needle Exchanges

House Republicans have restored the ban on US federal funding of needle-exchange programs--programs which have been proven effective, time and again, at reducing HIV and hepatitis transmission, and which therefore also reduce the costs of medical care. Art Caplan has more here.