Veterinary market production animals

A core activity of the CVMP is the establishment of MRLs of veterinary medicinal products permissible in food produced by or from animals for human consumption, including dairy products, meat, honey, etc. These limits must be established for all pharmacologically active substances contained in a medicinal product before the product can be granted a marketing authorization. 

Rules governing medicinal products in the European Community. Volume VI. Establishment by the European Community of maximum residue limits (MRLs) for residues of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin. Commission of the European Communities. Directorate-General for Internal Market and Industrial Affairs. October 1991. 

In derogation from point 3.6, ectoparasiticides for external application to animals, which are veterinary medicinal products, and subject to marketing authorization, may be produced and filled on a campaign basis in pesticide specific areas. However, other categories of veterinary medicinal products should not be produced in such areas. 

Many of the same indoles in human medicine could have parallel application in animal health and, indeed, some are used in both arenas. Both livestock and domestic pets may benefit, if only indirectly, from the huge research efforts of the pharmaceutical industry to develop pharmaceutical products. This is fortunate for there are far fewer companies today devoted strictly to veterinary medicine and animal health. However, the registration of a dmg for human use does not automatically mean that it can be used in the animal market. The approval process for a new animal health dmg is similar to the one for human medicine and the two are distinct. 

The use of controlled delivery systems for veterinary applications hcis increcised in recent years. The veterinary market can be divided in two segments production animals... 

Most FDA-approved veterinary drugs are for certain species, either food-producing or for a large target population (household pets). If veterinarian pharmaceutical companies do not perceive a sufficiently large market for a product, they will not seek FDA approval. This has left a large vacuum, or a potential market, that can be filled by compounding pharmacists. There are no FDA-approved products for exotic species due to the limited market and there are only few FDA-approved products for some of the more common species. Veterinarians need patient-specific products which pharmacists know how to prepare. Consequently, a team approach has been developed to the benefit of the veterinarian, pharmacist, and the animals. 

Animal health is a segment of the life sciences industry at the interface of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Global sales were 15 billion in 2005 ( 14.5 billion in 2004, 13.8 billion in 2001, inflation-adjusted). Of the top 10 companies, 9 are business units or spinoffs from pharmaceutical companies (see Table 11.9). The industry is rather concentrated, with the top 10 companies accounting for 75% of total sales. As they do in pharma, US companies dominate in animal health products. Many of the veterinary products in the portfolios had originally been developed for human use or as pesticides. In the pet (respectively companion animal) segment, which comprises cats, dogs, birds, some rodents, reptiles, and horses and represents about 40% of the total market, the association with human health is particularly prominent. 

T.-C. Chung, in An examination of Antibiotic Residues in Animal Products Marketed at the Middle Area of Taiwan, Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan (1986). 

Over a period of about twenty years the results of surveillance for veterinary drug residues in meat and animal products in the UK have provided reassurance that residues of veterinary drugs occur at very low concentrations and generally at low frequencies. Over this period repeated surveillance and improved communication and awareness of the producer and feed industry has resulted in a downward trend in the level and incidence of residues detected. However, contamination hot spots remain (e.g. animal medicated feed) and will continue to be monitored in the future. In addition, as new products are introduced into the market they will be evaluated during the licensing process to establish any risk from their residues present in human food. The UK also imports a significant amount of animal-derived food and the presence and risk to the UK consumer of residues in these products must also be considered and appropriate measures taken to protect the UK consumer. 

The centralised system and to a lesser extent the mutual recognition system have made a significant contribution towards a harmonised market in medicinal products. Both systems have provided a high degree of protection for public health and (in relation to veterinary medicines) animal health. There is a strong desire to retain but improve both systems in parallel. 

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