《TAIPEI TIMES》 Vets upset over possible changes to drug access

NOT JUST FOR HUMANS: Some pharmaceutical firms want to stop providing human medicines for use by vets and animal hospitals, as they are not covered by the law

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

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The Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association （TVMA） yesterday said the government should protect the rights of pets by allowing veterinarians to obtain and prescribe human medicine for the treatment of animals.

As the life expectancy of pets has significantly expanded, they increasingly face serious diseases and ailments as they age, such as malignant tumors and bone, joint and muscle disorders, but a large proportion of treatment for these diseases relies on medicine designed for humans, the association said.

The Pharmacist Association earlier this month complained to the Council of Agriculture about veterinarians being able to purchase and prescribe human medicine to treat animals, saying such actions contravene the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act （藥事法）.

The act stipulates that pharmaceutical companies can only sell human medicine through certain channels, which do not include veterinary hospitals and clinics.

Some pharmaceutical companies have informed veterinary hospitals that they would stop providing human medicine, Federation of Asian Small Animal Veterinary Associations chairman David Tan （譚大倫） said.

Many vets are concerned that if they can only prescribe medicine, but not provide it to pet owners, the owner might have difficulty finding pharmacies where they could purchase the drugs.

They are also concerned whether the vets or the pharmacists should be held responsible if something goes wrong after pets are given the prescribed drugs.

TVMA president Chen Pei-chung （陳培中） said veterinarians are worried that pharmacists would only be able to provide drugs according to prescription, but could not adjust them as needed for a specific animal or apply certain treatment to the animal, so the owner would have to take the pet back to an animal hospital for treatment, which would delay treatment time.

Taiwan Academy of Veterinary Internal Medicine president Wong Jun-yue （翁浚岳） said veterinary hospitals and clinics should either be allowed to continue directly purchasing human drugs according to the Regulations Governing the Use and Management of Human Drugs on Dogs, Cats and Non-economic Animals （人用藥品使用於犬貓及非經濟動物之使用管理辦法）, or they should be included in the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

The full responsibility for treatment and drug management would fall on vets and veterinary hospitals or clinics, which would provide more effective control over drugs used on pets, Wong said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES