FDA Publishes Final Finding of No Significant Impact on Oxitec’s Ox513a Mosquito

Key West, FL, August 5, 2016: Today, the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM) published a final finding of no significant impact (FONSI) and a final environmental assessment on Oxitec’s OX513A Aedes aegypti mosquito for an investigational trial in the Florida Keys.

The publication of the FONSI and the EA follows an FDA-led evaluation of potential impacts of Oxitec’s proposed trial on public health and the environment. The team that performed the evaluation consisted of the FDA-CVM, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The final documents were published upon completion of an extensive review by the evaluation team of evidence from trials in urban environments, as well as data from numerous safety studies, site inspections and independent experts.

“We need to be proactive when it comes to controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito,” said Florida Keys Mosquito Control District Executive Director Michael Doyle. “Our ultimate goal is a reduction of the Aedes aegypti population to a point where it cannot transmit diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and zika.

“A small project like this is designed to see if highly reducing the population is possible with this technology here in the Keys. If so,” Doyle said, “we will then look at larger areas for similar projects. The Aedes aegypti is the toughest mosquito to control and FKMCD is looking at several different technologies.”

The purpose of Oxitec’s proposed project is to determine the efficacy of Oxitec’s OX513A mosquitoes as a control method of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

The link to the EA and the FONSI is available on the FKMCD website (http://www.keysmosquito.org). For more information, please contact the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District by email ([email protected]) or phone (305-292-7190).

About the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District

The mission of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District is to control the mosquito population using the most effective methods, techniques, equipment and insecticides; thus enhancing the quality of life for all residents and reducing the possibility of mosquito transmitted diseases.

Follow FKMCD on Twitter at @FlKeysMosquito and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, please visit www.keysmosquito.org.

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