Dr. Lester Crawford
Director, Bureau of Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health, Education & Welfare, Rockville, MD
Notes
Fish tend to be considered a "minor" species and thus end up getting "minor use" drugs.
Research and development costs are greater than profit derived from sales, thus there is reluctance to do research on drugs to get them "approved". There is a tendency to use these non-approved drugs in non-food animals. Their safety and efficacy is really unknown.
Requirements for Drug Use
Either no residue exists in edible tissues at the time of intended use or the level of residue and its metabolites is safe for man. There should be a sharing of data, however sponsors are needed.
Investigational regulations allow shipment and use of non-approved drugs for research purposes.