CTFA on antimicrobials
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Prescription antibiotics, not antimicrobial personal care products cause bacterial resistance, the Cosmetics Toiletry and Fragrance Association and the Soap and Detergent Association say in a joint statement. The "real culprit" of microbial resistance is the "over-prescription and misuse of antibiotics," the trade groups maintain. CTFA and SDA also respond to recent media statements by Stuart Levy, MD, Tufts University that antibacterial personal care products create resistance and should only be used by seriously ill people or those with low immunity. Levy "has oversimplified a very complex scientific debate and, most importantly, is not focusing on the proven reasons for antibiotic resistance," CTFA contends. CTFA and an FDA coalition separately are studying the issue (1"The Rose Sheet" June 12, In Brief, 2June 26, p. 8)
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