Does This Discussion Forum on How to Get Pentosan for your Horse Show How Many Problems There Are in the Veterinary Compounding World?

Read through a number of these discussions to see the issues.  Discussion Can Be Read here

Veterinary Pharmacy Issues: Identifying Illegal Practices and Distinguishing Supply Chain Variations ACPE #205-000-13-004-L03-P

Monday, May 20, 2013

8:15 - 10:15 AMJoint CPE

Veterinary Pharmacy Issues: Identifying Illegal Practices and Distinguishing Supply Chain Variations

ACPE #205-000-13-004-L03-P
(0.2 CEUs – 2 contact hours)

Target Audience: Pharmacists
Activity Type: Application-based

Learning ObjectivesAt the conclusion of this session participants will be able to:

1. Illustrate why pharmacists who dispense veterinary medicines should possess particular skills.
2. Describe the additional training necessary for pharmacists to practice veterinary pharmacy.
3. Explain the legal differences between the human and veterinary drug supply chain.

DescriptionMany pet owners think that Fido is part of the family, but who should prescribe and dispense veterinary medicines? This session’s discussion will center around what knowledge is necessary regarding drug therapy and pharmacokinetics in veterinary medicine and why a lack of such knowledge may place our animal counterparts at risk. Additionally, attendees will learn the differences between the two drug supply chains – the how and the why the veterinary drug supply chain is legally allowed to be separate and vary from the human drug supply chain.

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Reason for Compounding: Veterinary drug shortages and compounding pharmacies

Feb 1, 2013 By: Laura McLain Madsen, DVMDVM NEWSMAGAZINE

You might have heard last year's frightening outbreak of fungal meningitis in people caused by contaminated methylprednisolone acetate from a compounding pharmacy in the Northeast. A compounding pharmacy obtains raw ingredients for a drug and formulates them into a useable medication. They tend to operate below the radar of the FDA.

NPR did a great piece on the fungal meningitis outbreak, asking why anyone would use a compounding pharmacy if there is risk of the product being improperly formulated or contaminated. One answer: "[Hospitals] depend on compounding pharmacies for smaller dosages or preservative-free products. In a growing number of instances, it's a matter of national shortages with FDA-approved versions."

In veterinary medicine, we also rely on compounding pharmacies to provide a medication that is not commercially available. In other cases, it's to provide a formulation of a commercially available medication in a lower dose or more palatable form for pets.

Continue reading here

Are We Returning To The Wild West Of Veterinary Medicine? | The Chronicle of the Horse

Are We Returning To The Wild West Of Veterinary Medicine? | The Chronicle of the Horse

U.S. and Canada Working Together To Provide Access to Needed Veterinary Drugs

Posted on December 12, 2012 by FDA Voice

By: Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M, Ph.D. and Murray M. Lumpkin, M.D., M.Sc.

The first simultaneous review and approval of a veterinary drug by the United States and Canada marks a successful start to a collaboration aimed at providing quicker access to needed veterinary medicines. The collaboration is also intended to remove trade barriers and reduce costs for consumers, regulators and manufacturers.

Here’s the background: Last year, President Obama and Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the creation of the U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC). The council’s goal is to better align several regulatory approaches, to remove duplicative requirements, and to better share regulatory resources.

Eliminating overlapping efforts is expected to result in reduced costs and more timely access to products while encouraging trade and investment.

After the agreement to create the council was signed, one of the first projects was to have drug regulators in both countries simultaneously review the same effectiveness data for approval of Elanco’s new animal drug, Comfortis, used to kill fleas and prevent flea infestation in cats. That effort culminated in this week’s announcement that FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate had simultaneously approved the drug.

Regulators in both countries have determined that several other veterinary drugs are also potentially eligible for simultaneous review by both countries under the RCC action plan.

Because of this successful initial collaboration, there is much potential opportunity going forward to continue to improve our review efficiency and the use of our review resources to improve access to safe and effective products on both sides of the border.

Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M, Ph.D., is Director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Murray M. Lumpkin, M.D., M.Sc., is FDA Commissioner’s Senior Advisor and Representative for Global Issues.

Experts at FTC Meeting Affirm Role of Pharmacist in Dispensing Veterinary Drugs

In a meeting coordinated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on October 2, 2012, veterinary and pharmacy experts affirmed the practice of pharmacists dispensing veterinary prescriptions. NABP staff provided an overview of the Vet-VIPPS® (Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice SitesCM) accreditation program for online pharmacies that dispense veterinary drugs and highlighted the Association’s role in helping to ensure the safety of pet medications through this program. An American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) spokesperson stated that the organization stands “behind the AVMA's principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics which encourages veterinarians to honor a client's request for a written prescription." Meeting participant Dr Race Foster of Drs Foster and Smith, an online veterinary pharmacy, indicated that “the vast majority who attended the workshop recognized the role pharmacists have played, should play and will play in the future of veterinary medicine. Their role is seen as especially relevant in the dispensing of long-term therapeutic drugs such as prescription anti-inflammatories for arthritis and medications for heartworm control.” More information about the meeting is available in a Drs Foster and Smith press release and links to videos of the proceedings are available on the FTC Web site. 

Source found on NABP located here

New York Times Article: At the Track, Racing Economics Collide With Veterinarians’ Oath

Horse-racing veterinarians are both doctor and drugstore; the more drugs they prescribe, the more money they make.  To read article click here  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/us/at-the-track-racing-economics-collide-with-veterinarians-oath.html?smid=pl-share