16 Jun 2023
New WSAVA president Ellen van Nierop also worried about critical disparity of access to medicines – with half of all vets working without the basic drugs they need to protect small animal welfare.
Image: © andreysp03 / Adobe Stock
A lack of essential medicines has led to the rapid rise in global black markets for veterinary drugs and is increasing the threat posed by zoonotic disease.
New president of the WSAVA, Ellen van Nierop, issued the warning as she discussed the critical disparity of access to such medicines around the world, with half of all vets working without the basic drugs they need to protect small animal welfare.
Drugs such as opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines are unavailable in many parts of the world, while vaccines for zoonotic diseases such as leptospirosis are also scarce.
To help address the problem, the WSAVA has created a list of essential medicines for cats and dogs that recommends the core drugs vets should have ready access to, for the prevention and treatment of specific diseases and conditions.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and World Veterinary Association are also committed to producing similar lists of essential medicines for other species.
Several of its 115 affiliated veterinary associations have successfully used the WSAVA list to lobby governments for improved access to products on the list, but as Dr van Nierop explained, there is still much work to be done.
Dr van Nierop said: “The lack of access to veterinary medicines in many parts of the world is a complex and multifactorial problem.
“It is caused by differing regulatory, government and harmonisation regimes, cost, a lack of appropriate lobbying and general bureaucracy.
“It concerns us greatly, which is why it is the focus of our advocacy work.”
Dr van Nierop raised concerns that, if steps are not taken to address the issue, millions of companion animals will continue to suffer and black markets for veterinary drugs will proliferate, increasing the risk of vets using low-quality formulations.
A recent WSAVA study into the quality of veterinary oral formulations of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid showed evidence of substandard formulations in both developed and developing countries.
Dr van Nierop added: “We need to be able to treat companion animals with the correct medications and provide preventive care.
“Pain is a major issue that really affects the human-animal bond, and that is poorly treated in many countries because of a lack of the correct medication. Also, we need to do everything we can to mitigate the potential negative effects of AMR – caused by antibiotics being used inappropriately, perhaps because the right drugs were not available or that they were used in a substandard formulation.
“It is also important to safeguard human health, and the threat to our health from zoonotic disease is a growing concern, given that one in seven of us globally now shares our living space with an animal.
“As companion animals increase in ever greater numbers, the importance of creating ‘cleaner’ environments, in which we can all co-exist healthily as one community, becomes ever more urgent.”
The WSAVA recently launched a new three-year strategy, which includes plans to support its membership associations in attempts to increase access to critical veterinary medicines.
This includes a commitment to support the acceleration of the creation of a practical regulatory process for veterinary medicines, an initiative that is already bearing fruit in some African countries and in south-east Asia, where a group of associations are attempting to validate the registration of drugs in one country as valid in the others.
The WSAVA is also calling for regulators and legislators to make a distinction between food production animals and companion animals, and to develop a greater understanding of the link between companion animal welfare and human health.
One of the association’s other key objectives is to produce and promote its peer-reviewed global guidelines, which are drafted by its clinical committees to highlight best practice and set minimum standards in key areas of veterinary practice.
Up to now, these guidelines have been entirely clinically focused, but a new set of guidelines on professional wellness – along with guidelines on reproduction and zoonoses – will be launched at WSAVA Congress in Lisbon from 27 to 29 September.
Dr van Nierop said: “We would love to see lots of vets from the UK at congress, as it’s a unique and fun opportunity to learn with and get to know your colleagues from around the world, both during lectures and at the wide range of social events.”
Congress will be held in China for the first time in 2024, when the Suzhou International Expo Center to the west of Shanghai hosts the event from 3 to 5 September.
Clinical Assist