Pet Drug Legislation

For a drug company to market a drug for veterinary use in the UK they must prove it to be of good quality, effective and most of all, safe for use in animals. It can then become a licensed product and must be prescribed under the cascade as discussed below. These veterinary products are divided into the following legal categories:

• AVM-GSL: Authorised Veterinary Medicine– General Sales License. These products can be sold by anybody eg. Feliway and D.A.P. diffusers, Seraquin joint supplement.

   

   

• NFA-VPS: Non Food Animal medicines – Veterinarian, Pharmacist or Suitably Qualified Person. These are medicines for companion animals which must be supplied by a Vet, a Pharmacist or a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) eg. Drontal (pyrantel embonate and praziquantel) and Frontline Spot on (fipronil)
  
  
   
• POM-VPS: Prescription Only Medicine – Veterinarian, Pharmacist or SQP. Medicines for food producing animals which must be supplied by a Vet, Pharmacist or SQP eg. Baycox and many cattle insecticides
  
  
   

• POM–V: Prescription Only Medicine – Veterinarian. Prescription medications that only a vet can supply. These include drugs such as antibiotics and pain relief. These drugs can be supplied directly by a vet to an animal under their care after an examination and assessment of the pet's needs. They can also be dispensed in accordance with a veterinary prescription given by that vet to another vet or pharmacist.  eg. Metacam (NSAID), Antirobe (Antibiotic)
  
  
   
• Controlled Drugs (CD): Some POM-V drugs are further classified as controlled drugs. These are regulated by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. They are potentially dangerous drugs such as morphine and ketamine and must be kept locked away and their use recorded. Written prescriptions for these drugs cannot be repeated and can only be used once within 28 days of issue. eg. Epiphen

Veterinary Prescriptions

A veterinary prescription is defined as “any prescription for a veterinary medicinal product, issued by a professional person qualified to do so in accordance with applicable national law”. In the UK, POM-VPS and POM-V drugs are required to be either dispensed by a vet or as directed by a prescription from a vet when obtaining these medicines via a third party such as an online pharmacy. Vets are allowed to charge for these prescriptions.  

The Cascade

Medicines must be prescribed to pets under the cascade. The cascade is a legal guideline which states that authorised medicines must be used where possible but gives vets the flexibility to use other medications in situations where an authorised product is not available.

Ideally use a drug licensed for a specific condition in a specific species

IF NOT AVAILABLE

Use a drug authorised in the UK for use in another species OR for a different condition in the same species

IF NOT AVAILABLE

Use a medicine authorised for human use OR a medicine from another country authorised for that use OR a medicine prepared by a vet, pharmacist or SQP holding a manufacturer's licence

It is important to use authorised medicines where possible as time, money and resources have gone into making sure that they are effective and safe for use in animals which have very different physiology to humans and even to other species of animals.

Regulation

All authorised or licensed drugs will have an accompanying data sheet which contains the legal category and information on indications for use, dose rates, potential side effects and interactions. These are collected in a compendium by the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH).  All licensed drugs are also closely regulated by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). Another organisation called the Animal Medicine Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA) not only monitors the sales representatives of the drug companies but is also responsible for training the Suitably Qualified Persons (SQP) who are then allowed to dispense NFA-VPS and POM-VPS medications.

Relevant Legislation

• Veterinary Medicines Act 1968
• Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005
• Misuse of Drugs Act 1971