The vast majority of medicines used in animals fit into this category. These drugs may only be prescribed by a vet, and can only be supplied by a vet or a registered pharmacist. POM-V – Prescription Only Medicine, Veterinarian.There are actually many more classifications than that! In general, we divide veterinary medicines into five categories: Myth 1: Veterinary medicines are either prescription or over the counter The VMRs cover the nuts and bolts: how medicines are classified, authorised, sold, supplied, by whom and to whom, and so on, while the MDA covers “Controlled Drugs” (CDs) – those with significant potential for abuse. the act of deciding which medicine a particular animal should receive) is an act of veterinary surgery and that therefore, with a few exceptions, only a vet can make that decision. The VSA sets the scene, making the point that prescribing a medicine (i.e. There are three key pieces of legislation that govern the use of veterinary medicines in the UK – the Veterinary Surgeons’ Act 1966 (VSA), the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (VMRs) and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA). When I first qualified, it was drilled into us that the easiest way for a vet to be struck off was to breach the medicines laws, and that’s not something I’m willing to do. The trouble is, that isn’t usually the case…īut even if you don’t believe that, remember that apart from anything else my Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is what allows me to earn my living. I will happily talk about medications, and if there is a legal alternative that’s cheaper, I’m happy to supply or prescribe it. Any that do, bluntly, do not deserve to be in this profession. Even when we are, we’re professionals – our duty of care is to the patient in front of us, and there are very few vets who would deliberately break that. There are very few vets who are on commission – for most of us, we earn our salary whether we prescribe something or not. So, in this blog, I’m going to explore the UK’s medicines laws in a little more detail, and try to explain some things that people find confusing… For example, why it is that veterinary drugs are more expensive than human ones, why we can’t prescribe the cheaper human version, or why we can’t accept unused drugs back into stock for a refund. My colleague Pete has written an excellent blog about vets fees in general, but he didn’t cover the medicines side. But one of the things that really hurts is where we are constrained by the law, do our best in accordance with the law, and then get slated online or in person for it. Does my dog need that vaccine? Why did you give my cat that wormer? Isn’t there an alternative treatment with fewer side effects? These are all clinical decisions, and we’re all prepared to debate the risks versus the benefits of any medicine choice. As vets, we regularly get stick over animal medicines.
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