The Food and Drug Administration will hold 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 ruminants and equines.

The meeting will be held on March 5 and 6th, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Hilton Rockville Hotel and Conference Center in Rockville Maryland.

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 antiparasitic drug efficacy and minimize development of parasitic resistance in ruminant and equine species.

The meeting is open to the public and interested persons may 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 February 27, 2012.

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 Aleta Sindelar on or before February 20, 2012 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 may be limited. The contact person will inform each speaker of their schedule prior to the meeting.