As of January 2024, all Member States in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) must submit these data annually to the Antimicrobial Sales and Use (ASU) Platform. This new obligation was introduced by the Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/6) as one of the measures to fight antimicrobial resistance.
The collection of data on the sales and use of antimicrobials in animals has always been critical in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) project was in place between 2009 and 2023 as a voluntary initiative by EMA and European countries to monitor the sales of veterinary antimicrobials in Europe. It served as a blueprint for the ASU Platform that supports and enhances the EU’s actions to address antimicrobial resistance. It requires that all Member States submit data on sales of veterinary antimicrobials and use of antimicrobials in animals in a standardised format, enhancing the collection of data and their integration in a robust system.
The new IT system and web interface will not only streamline the submission of data for the Member States but it will also strengthen the analysis and identification of trends in antimicrobial consumption across the EU/EEA. Access to reliable data provides invaluable insights for participating countries on the impact of their measures to promote the prudent use of antimicrobials in animals, and could help to identify potential actions at national and international level to support an overall decrease of AMR.
EMA will publish annual reports showcasing the main results of the analysed data, with the first report expected in March 2025, after the first reporting cycle is concluded. It will also develop a public interactive database on a business intelligence interface, that will help to further disseminate the outcomes of the ASU Platform data analysis.
A timeline for implementation and guidance to assist national competent authorities to implement the legislative requirements are available on EMA’s website. The reporting of data on use in animal species will be implemented gradually.