Assigning Defined Daily Doses Animal: a European multi-country experience

Abstract

In order to be able to compare antimicrobial usage data between countries with a uniform quantification method a Defined Daily Dose Animal (DDDA) per active substance was defined. Information of 731 antimicrobial products licensed for use in porcine medicine in four EU countries was used to establish mean DDDAs for 83 unique active substances (AS) including combinations of different AS. Common DDDAs were defined in spite of large variations in the authorized dosages for the same active substances and administration routes. These DDDAs will be used to quantify and compare antimicrobial usage in pig production in four EU countries