The search for better animal antibiotics
Disease-free farm animals are key to ensuring food chain safety for consumers. Currently, antibiotics are used to treat infectious diseases of the digestive and respiratory systems, but they remain inefficient. The EU-funded 'Ceftiofur long acting to reduce antibiotics' (CLARA) project was established to find, test and bring to market an improved, long-acting veterinary product. The aim was to reduce the volume and number of required injections, and to improve drug tolerance in the animals. Project activities were driven by industry and small and medium-sized enterprises. CLARA's scope was intended to cover initial research and development through to delivering a 'ready-to-use' antibiotic. The product would then be registered at the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Researchers proposed using hydrogels as the basis for the new technology. These are created through hydrating specialised polymers. Unfortunately, a feasibility study found that hydrogels are not suited to the aims of the project. As such, the research team has committed to finding an alternative solution for a long-acting formulation to deliver antibiotics to large animals.
