After repeated introductions in Congress and protests by activists who want to limit the use of antibiotics in animals, legislation that paves the way to legally market drugs for animals such as ornamental aquarium and garden pond fish is finally ready for the President's signature.

Approved by the House in July, Senate Bill 741, a bill that includes the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act, may soon be enacted, according to the Food and Drug Administration (Washington).

The Senate approved the bill in March

The bill is designed to create grants and other incentives to develop treatments of disease in so-called minor species of animals, including reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, birds and fish. The bill also will allow manufacturers to market the remedies without going through the costly full registration process.

"Increasing the availability of safe and effective drugs to treat minor species and other species with unusual conditions promotes animal welfare and provides additional public health protection from animal diseases that can be transferred to humans," said Lester M. Crawford, D.V.M., acting commissioner for the FDA.

The MUMS Act came under fire last year from the Keep Antibiotics Working Alliance, a coalition of environmentalists and animal rights activists. The group claimed its passage would promote antibiotic resistance in humans.

Two years ago, dozens of news reports about people purchasing aquarium antibiotics from pet stores to use on themselves instead of their fish prompted pet industry manufacturers to dust off and implement quality assurance protocols drafted several years ago. The protocols cover the format, packaging and labeling of aquatic remedies. Now, many of these products display labeling which indicates, "Not for human consumption" or "for aquarium use only."

The MUMS coalition-the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (Greenwich, Conn.) and the Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association (Winter Haven)-and a host of other producer groups and associations worked with key members of Congress to pass the bill. [September 2004 PET AGE]