Centre Proposes Ban On Two Antibiotic Groups

The Union Health Ministry has proposed prohibiting the manufacture, import, sale and distribution of carboxypenicillins and phosphonic acid derivatives, and formulations containing them, for animal use.

The move is part of the government's wider effort to limit the use of medically important antimicrobials in animals and slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

In this regard, said an official from the Union Health Ministry, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has already published the draft notification dated September 3, 2026. The government has invited objections and suggestions from the public, including stakeholders, before taking a final decision.

The move follows a recommendation of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), he said.

At its 93rd meeting on February 16, 2026, the board considered a proposal from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD). It recommended prohibiting the manufacture, import, sale and distribution of the two groups for animal use.

The decision follows an earlier review of antimicrobials considered important for human treatment, he added.

In April 2025, the DTAB had recommended restrictions on 34 antimicrobial medicines for animal use. Three groups were kept aside for further examination. These included carboxypenicillins, combinations of cephalosporins with beta-lactamase inhibitors, and phosphonic acid derivatives.

The latest recommendation covers the first and third groups.

Carboxypenicillins include ticarcillin. Phosphonic acid derivatives include fosfomycin. In fact, the concern is not limited to veterinary medicine, the official said.

Antimicrobial resistance develops when microorganisms change in ways that allow them to survive medicines that previously killed or controlled them. Overuse and misuse of antimicrobials can accelerate this process. The result can be infections that are harder to treat and a shrinking pool of effective medicines.

Antimicrobial use in animals is one part of this larger problem, pointed out the official, adding that resistant bacteria can move between animals, people, food and the environment. This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) advocates a One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance.

The WHO has also called for greater restraint in the use of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals. Its guidance says antibiotics important to human medicine should be used prudently in veterinary settings.

The issue is particularly important for antibiotics that are among the limited options available to treat serious infections in people.

WHO’s list of medically important antimicrobials is intended to help countries identify medicines whose effectiveness needs to be protected from unnecessary use outside human medicine.

India’s proposed restrictions come against this broader backdrop. The earlier list of 34 medicines covered several antibiotic groups, including carbapenems, penems, monobactams, glycopeptides and oxazolidinones. It also included a number of antiviral medicines and the antiprotozoal drug nitazoxanide.

The official said that the Ministry will examine the objections and suggestions received during the consultation period before deciding whether to notify the restrictions.

Antibiotics used in humans, animals and agriculture are linked through the wider ecosystem. Protecting their effectiveness therefore requires action across these sectors.

As per the WHO estimate, bacterial antimicrobial resistance was associated with more than 4.7 million deaths globally in 2021. It has described AMR as a major global health threat.

For India, restricting the use of selected antimicrobials in animals is one part of that larger effort, added the official.