New York, NY – Bayer’s debut on the New York Stock Exchange today turned into a headache when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. led a news conference outside the exchange to protest Bayer’s refusal to comply with a proposal by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban a version of Cipro for use in poultry. The FDA proposed the ban after it determined that the use of Baytril in poultry is promoting the development of resistance to Cipro and related fluoroquinolone antibiotics in bacteria that cause severe food poisoning in humans. On Monday, the Associated Press reported that an FDA spokeswoman said a decision whether to hold a hearing on Bayer’s challenge had been expected by Dec. 31, but officials are now reviewing a new set of documents from Bayer rebutting government findings and that a decision could come at any time.

The news conference was sponsored by “Keep Antibiotics Working (KAW): The Campaign to End Antibiotic Overuse” (www.KeepAntibioticsWorking.com). Their “Bayer Watch” website (www.BayerWatch.com) has generated more than 6,100 letters from the public since October 30 to Bayer CEO Helge Wehmeier, urging Bayer to stop marketing Baytril to treat poultry. KAW is a coalition of health, consumer, agricultural, environmental and other advocacy groups dedicated to phasing out the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry that are medically important to humans.

“We call on Bayer to practice what it preaches in its slogan, ‘Expertise With Responsibility,’” said Kennedy, President of Waterkeeper Alliance and a KAW coalition member.

Standing next to a 15-foot tall bottle of Bayer aspirin with a giant banner that read: “Bayer: Stop Playing Chicken with Cipro,” Kennedy noted that the only other maker of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic for poultry, Abbott Laboratories, has respected the FDA proposed ban since it was issued in October 2000.

“Bayer should follow Abbott’s lead, drop its 15-month challenge to the FDA’s proposed ban and immediately pull Baytril from the poultry market,” Kennedy added.

“The American Medical Association has called on Bayer to comply with the FDA’s proposed ban,” said Cindy Parker, MD, a medical consultant for Physicians for Social Responsibility. “Bayer should heed the AMA’s warning and not put public health at risk.”

“The FDA proposed the Baytril ban because of the strength of scientific evidence showing that the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry puts consumers' health at risk,” said Rebecca Goldburg, Ph.D., a senior scientist for Environmental Defense. “Bayer should put people before profits and comply with the FDA’s proposed ban.”

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