The Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization on Aug. 7 for a drug to prevent New World Screwworm infestation in cattle, sheep, goats and swine. The authorization moves to protect the nation’s livestock industry from a parasitic threat that could cause billions of dollars in losses.
The NWS fly, whose larvae feed on living animal flesh and can kill a host within days, was eradicated from the United States in the 1960s but has re-emerged as a border threat. The EUA bypasses the standard approval timeline to make the preventive drug available to producers during the active threat period.
The authorization covers multiple livestock species, reflecting the broad agricultural exposure risk. American cattle producers, who manage the nation’s roughly 87 million head of cattle, are the most immediately affected industry segment.
The FDA action is part of a coordinated federal response. USDA has simultaneously committed $25 million to a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Arizona and signed a biosecurity memorandum of understanding with the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate border protection against the threat.
NWS poses a catastrophic risk to U.S. livestock because American herds have no natural resistance to the parasite, having been free of it for six decades. A widespread outbreak could trigger trade restrictions from importing countries and devastate the domestic beef and dairy industries.
The emergency authorization enables livestock producers in border states — where the reintroduction risk is highest — to begin preventive treatment immediately rather than waiting for standard FDA drug approval timelines that can take years.
Healthcare providers noted that NWS can also infect humans, though human cases are rare and the FDA authorization applies specifically to livestock.