The Nation - News from July 25, 1985

Animal drugs sold illegally by veterinarians and distributors pose a threat to the nation’s food chain, federal officials said. But Lester M. Crawford, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said there is no evidence that consumers have been harmed by meat, cheese or other food contaminated with drug residue. Nonetheless, FDA officials told a House Government Operations subcommittee they were concerned about the proliferation of illegally sold animal drugs. The panel was told that only about 2,500 animal drugs--roughly 10% of those existing--had been approved under the formal FDA process.