AHI CEO Martha Scott Poindexter Applauds Administration Action on New World Screwworm

August 19, 2025 — I appreciate the action taken by Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy to create a flexible pathway for the use of animal health products to treat and prevent New World Screwworm (NWS).  The emergency declaration signed by the Secretary allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue emergency use authorizations (EUA) to fight NWS.

While there are currently no FDA-approved drugs in the U.S. for NWS, they do exist in other countries.  The EUA allows FDA to expedite approval of animal health products to treat and prevent NWS where there are products approved for other purposes or in other countries.

This pest is a threat to animal health, producer profitability and food security.  While it was eradicated from the U.S. decades ago, since 2022 it has been marching north through Central America and again threatens the U.S. border with Mexico.

This is just the latest in a series of actions taken by the Administration to use all existing authorities to protect U.S. producers from the devastating impact of an outbreak of this disease.  We look forward to working with FDA to bring needed solutions to market as quickly as possible.