The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a two-day public meeting to discuss the current state of anthelmintic resistance in the United States and worldwide, tools for the evaluation of antiparasitic resistance, evaluation of the effectiveness of drugs against resistant parasites, and the scientific rationale for the use of combinations of antiparasitic drugs in equids and ruminants.

The meeting will be held March 5-6, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Hilton Rockville Hotel and Conference Center in Rockville, Md.

The main purpose of the meeting is to explore and discuss ways in which antiparasitic drugs can be used alone or in combination to maximize drug efficacy and minimize development of parasitic resistance in ruminant and equids. A draft agenda for the meeting is available online.

The meeting is open to the public and some interested persons will be permitted to present data, information, or views–orally or in writing–on the topic of discussion. Written submissions may be made to Aleta Sindelar (Aleta.Sindelar@fda.hhs.gov) CVM (HFV-3), FDA, 7519 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855 on or before Feb. 27. Oral presentations from the public will be scheduled between approximately 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. on March 5, and 10:30 a.m. and noon on March 6, 2012. Interested persons should notify Sindelar on or before Feb. 20, and submit a brief statement of the general nature of information they wish to present and an indication of the approximate time requested to make their presentation. Time allotted for each presentation could be limited and a contact person will inform each speaker of their schedule prior to the meeting