G/SPS/N/CRI/221  
14 January 2020  
(20-0358) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: COSTA RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal, SENASA  (National Animal 
Health Service) Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería  (Ministry of Agriculture and 
Livestock)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable): HS code 3004.20  
4. Regions or countries  likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: Resolución SENASA -DMV-048-2019 - Dirección 
Nacional de Medicamentos Veterinarios del Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal  (Resolution 
SENASA -DMV-048-2019 - National Directorate for Veterinary Drugs, National Animal 
Health Service) Language(s): Spanish Number of pages:  4 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/SPS/CRI/20_0305_00_s.pdf  
6. Description of content: The notified text  provides for the cancel lation of  the existing 
registration and  the refusal of application s for the registration and the renewal of the 
registration  of all products containing the active ingredient colistin and colistin salts in 
their formulas . It also prohibits the  importation and manufacture  of these  products.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [X] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[X] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) : 
[ ] World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) : 
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention ( e.g. ISPM No. ): 
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes [ ] No  
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: The antimicrobial agent colistin and colistin salts ha ve been 
classified as "Reserve group" by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to their value 
as a last -resort therapeutic tool in intensive care units. It is important, therefore, that 
this antibiotic  be kept as a therapeutic tool used solely for human health  purposes . G/SPS/N/CRI/221  
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  9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 11 November 2019  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 11 November 2019  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [X]  Six months from date of publication, 
and/or ( dd/mm/yy ): 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circu lation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ): Not applicable  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [   ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and email address 
(if available) of other body:  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [   ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and email address (if available) of other body:  
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería  (MAG) 
Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado  (SFE) 
Centro de Info rmación y Notificación en MSF  
Apartado postal 1521 - 1200 
San José, Costa Rica  
Tel.: ( +506) 2549 3407  
Fax: ( +506) 2549 3598  
Email: puntocontactoMSF@sfe.go.cr