Henrik Caspar Wegener, director of the National Food Institute in Denmark, said during a panel session at the Chicago conference, “My main advice for the US is that all antibiotics used on animals should be given only with a prescription.” “That’s not the case at the moment. Antibiotics are medicines. They should be prescribed by someone educated to make that decision.” By requiring prescriptions for all antibiotics, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can make more-informed decisions about how antibiotics are used and give them insight on how a reduction can be achieved, he said. In addition, more data may help officials persuade the US meat-producing industry to change its practices, Wegener said. Resistant infections in human medicine would cost the US more than $20 billion annually, a 2009 study reported. At the moment, antibiotics are available by prescription, in an animal’s feed with the approval of a veterinarian, and over-the-counter without a prescription. The FDA issued draft guidance at the end of June, last year, that would require veterinarian approval for all antibiotics, eliminating over-the-counter availability. The guidance isn’t yet final.