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Chloramphenicol is an active ingredient of drug products with a proven value as an antibiotic for life-threatening infections in humans. It is also being used by mixing with feed for animals raised as food.

1. The Subcommittee on Veterinary Drugs of the National Drug Committee at the Department of Health has determined that the use of chloramphenicol in food-producing animals presents a clear public health danger resulting from high levels of chloramphenicol residues in meat, milk and eggs.  The said subcommittee, therefore, recommends the prohibition in the use of chloramphenicol for such purposes.
2. A task force created by the Department of Agriculture has also come to the same conclusions, and therefore concurs with the same recommendation.
3. Based on the work of these expert committees, the Departments of Agriculture and Health have agreed on the following findings:

   3.1 Chloramphenicol is a useful drug for treating infections in humans. Its value, however, requires that it be used discriminately through physicians’ prescription after a sound diagnosis.

   3.2 When used in animals raised for food, chloramphenicol residues build up in animal tissues that are eventually ingested by humans when these are consumed.  The human tolerance for such residues cannot be established because the effect may or may not be related to the dose or the duration of exposure.  In fact, the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has not recommended an acceptable residue level since no assurance can be given that even low residue levels would be safe for certain sensitive individuals.

   3.3 Indiscriminate or even discriminate use of chloramphenicol in food- producing animals can lead to build-up of residues in food derived from such animals causing (a) increased chance of human exposure to possibility of aplastic anemia, one of the rare but fatal conditions associated with chloramphenicol, and (b) alteration of microbial ecology leading to increased chloramphenicol-resistance of human pathogens.

Now, therefore, we, the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health, jointly and severally order the following:

1. Chloramphenicol is banned from use in all food-producing animals, including in aquaculture, regardless of the route of administration.
2. Registration of chloramphenicol products for use in food-producing animals, is withdrawn and future applications for similar registration shall be disapproved.
3. All concerned personnel are instructed to implement the ban and educate the public on the reasons for such ban.

For compliance.

Adopted: 30 April 1990

 

(SGD.) ALFREDO R.A. BENGZON, M.D.	(SGD.) SENEN C. BACANI
Secretary	Secretary
Department of Health	Department of Agriculture

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^*Also Department of Agriculture, Administrative Order No. 60, Series 1990.