Medicines
November 2009: The prescribing cascade
For veterinary surgeons working within Europe there is a strict presrcibing cascade which outlines the procedure that should be followed when using off-label drugs in small and large animals. The Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists has produced a document with justifications for using common unlicensed analgesic and anaesthetic drugs in animals. For veterinary surgeons working within the UK it is recommended that the justification for using a non-licensed drug is included in the animal's notes. The AVA definitions could be used in this context. More details on the use of the cascade system in the UK are detailed in the following PDF.
The document with justifications for use of common unlicensed anaesthetic and analgesic drugs in animals can be downloaded here.
June 2009 Update
AVA Members: Have your say about what drugs should be included in the European Equine Positive List
AVA Medicines’ Report, May 2009
Elizabeth Leece
For those involved in equine anaesthesia in Europe, the list of substances essential for treatment of equidae is due to be updated. This means we have the opportunity of adding more anaesthetic drugs to the list now! The current essentials’ list can be found at the following address:
www.fve.org/veterinary/pdf/medicines/regulation_1950_2006_ec.pdf
We must act now to ensure that drugs that may be of benefit to our equine patients, such as halothane and desflurane for example for inhalational anaesthetic agents, can be added at this stage. Please take a look at the current list and email your thoughts on anaesthetic drugs that should be added to this list to
and why you think their use is justifiable.
The excel file provides a list of anaesthesia and analgesia related drugs that have been proposed to be added to the equine positive list but as yet are not incorporated into the list. These drugs are shown in RED.
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January 2009 Update
Applying for an Animal Test Certificate - Simplified – an experience from practice
In the UK, the VMD has recently introduced the ATC-S (Animal Test Certificate-Simplified) to enable small scale trials to be conducted by veterinary surgeons as clinical research. Mr James Hunt, a veterinary surgeon from Taunton and member of AVA is one of the first UK vets to apply for an ATC-S to allow him to carry out a clinical study from practice. Read about his experiences here.
Updates in legislation (clinical trials, anaesthesia drug usage)
As an anaesthesia profession we face daily challenges of adhering to drug licensing and administration regulations. Across continental Europe restrictions about off-label drug administration apply mainly to farm animals and horses, while in the UK the situation is applicable across all species. In order to update the AVA membership about the changing face of drug legislation and regulations surrounding clinical trials it is important include Updates in legislation in the educational updates section of the website.
UK legislative changes for clinical trials involving non-licensed drugs
Elizabeth Leece, Animal Health Trust
This is our chance to make changes before it becomes a legal requirement so please act now! (20th June 2008)
Read more in the members only area to find out more
The first update was written by Geoff Hale, who has done a lot of work to represent the views of the AVA on drug legislative committees in the UK. Thanks for providing the information!
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