A common veterinary drug used by American pork farms could soon be pulled from the market, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday, due to concerns that it could pose a cancer risk in humans who eat hot dogs, sausages and other foods made from animals given the drug.The FDA's move comes nearly a decade after the agency first began a renewed probe into safety concerns over the drug, carbadox, which is added to feed given to pigs to combat infections and help fatten them up.
The drug's manufacturer, Phibro Animal Health Corporation, touts carbadox as 'the industry standard' for antimicrobials used to combat bacteria and fatten pigs. Branded as Mecadox, the drug is added to feed used in pork farms across the country.Phibro said Tuesday that it was 'extremely disappointed' in the FDA's move and accused the agency of not acting 'based on solid science.