In a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, R-CALF USA requested emergency approval for a medicine called buparvaquone to treat cattle infected with theileriosis.
In the letter, R-CALF USA Animal Health Committee Chair Max Thornsberry, DVM, said the disease had been spreading in the United States since 2017, when its carrier, the invasive Asian longhorned tick, was introduced. The tick had been confirmed on the East Coast, in the South and in Midwestern states.
Thornsberry said veterinarians could prescribe treatments to control ticks, but no approved medicine exists to treat infected cattle. The letter stated that buparvaquone is already approved and used globally, including in Africa, the Middle East, Pacific Island nations and Asia, and is broadly accepted as safe and effective. It also explained that withdrawal times for slaughter could be extended to ensure food safety.
“The impact of having to watch valuable cattle die because of the lack of access to an approved treatment is tremendous,” Thornsberry said. “American cattle producers face serious risks from theileriosis, and we urge prompt action.”
