The implementation of tightened regulations on human medicines for veterinary use would be postponed until supporting measures are put in place, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, adding that it would ensure pets’ rights to life and medical care.
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), set to be enforced from July 1, was met with opposition from veterinarians and pet owners due to concern over compromised accessibility to essential medications.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency yesterday convened a meeting to collect opinions from veterinarians and pharmacists, as well as related central authorities for advice on policy adjustments.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Under the regulations, human medicines for veterinary use cannot be directly sold to veterinarians without being previously registered by their pharmaceutical manufacturers, making it difficult for pet owners to promptly obtain enough medications.
Only about 20 percent of the 701 medicines eligible for veterinary use have been registered, likely because developing product lines of animal medicines would incur hefty costs for most pharmaceutical companies.
The ministry proposed abolishing the registration mechanism and allowing pharmaceutical companies to supply human medicines declared as eligible for veterinary use directly to veterinary clinics.
It also proposed establishing a medicine depository system that enables pharmaceutical stores to deposit medicines that have the same ingredients, but do not have veterinary medicine labels.
During the meeting, a veterinarian said many pharmaceutical companies stopped supplying medicines to veterinarians due to legal concerns.
Agency Deputy Director-General Du Li-hua (杜麗華) said medicines declared eligible for veterinary use are presently allowed to be sold to veterinarians even if they have yet to be registered.
The agency would ensure a constant supply of veterinary medicines during the transitional period and would not enforce the regulations until supporting measures are in place, she said.
Concerns were also raised over whether off-label applications of human medicines for veterinary use might be diverted back into human medicine markets, or whether veterinarians in remote areas might have less accessibility to medicines from pharmaceutical stores.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍) said such issues would require further discussions and potential regulatory revisions.
The ministry tends to lay down solid legal foundations to prevent risks and problems, but would prioritize animals’ rights to life and medical care as well as veterinarian clinics’ accessibility to medicines.
The meeting attendees decided to postpone the implementation of the regulations following a vote in which about 75 percent of those present agreed.
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