The UAE's drug regulator, the Emirates Drug Establishment, has announced that ciprofloxacin, a widely used antibiotic, will be banned from veterinary use across the country starting November 1. The ban covers nine veterinary medicinal products containing the drug, eight of them imported and one manufactured locally. October 20, the move is aimed at tackling antimicrobial resistance, a growing global concern linked to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in pets and farm animals. Veterinary health experts have repeatedly warned that indiscriminate use of such drugs can lead to resistant bacteria strains, making infections harder to treat in animals and, indirectly, in humans exposed to the same bacterial strains.
The ban requires farmers, veterinarians and importers of animal medicines to clear existing stock of ciprofloxacin-based products from distribution and use before the November 1 deadline. The Emirates Drug Establishment said further details, including a full list of affected products and guidance on approved alternative treatments, would be released shortly.
The decision is part of the UAE's broader effort to align its veterinary drug policies with international standards on antibiotic use in animal health, an area where authorities have tightened oversight of sales and usage in recent years. UAE health officials have previously flagged antimicrobial resistance as one of the region's long-term public health challenges, calling for coordinated action across the veterinary, agricultural and human health sectors to slow the spread of resistant bacteria and protect the effectiveness of existing antibiotics for future generations.