The statement forms part of the organisation’s efforts to secure equal access to vital veterinary medicines.

Position Statement designed to raise awareness of problems around regulation

Eleven veterinary associations, including the WSAVA and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, have signed a Position Statement calling for improved global access to veterinary medicines.


Initiated by the WSAVA, the statement forms part of the organisation’s efforts to secure equal access to vital veterinary medicines for companion animal practitioners around the world.


Regulatory issues in regions such as Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia have restricted access to veterinary medicines for some time and limit the effort of many veterinary surgeons to provide optimal care for their patients. Even essential medicines - such as those used to manage pain - are often difficult to access, causing immense and unnecessary suffering. 


Dr Walt Ingwersen, WSAVA past president, said: “Difficulty in accessing therapeutics to treat patients is a critical issue for companion animal veterinarians in many parts of the world. It causes huge frustration and means that many, if not most, companion animals globally do not receive optimum care.

"It’s a situation which requires urgent change and, working in partnership with our colleagues across the veterinary sector, we are focused on bringing this about.”

To spearhead its work in this area, the WSAVA recently formed a Therapeutics Guidelines Group (TGG). Its new Position Statement is designed to raise awareness of the problems around regulation and to call on governments and regulatory bodies to act.

he Statement has been endorsed by:


• The World Veterinary Association
  
• HealthforAnimals
  
• The Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations
  
• The Commonwealth Veterinary Association
  
• The Federación Iberoamericana de Asociaciones Veterinarias de Animales de Compañía
  
• The Federation of Asian Small Animal Veterinary Associations
  
• The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe
  
• The Federation of Asian Veterinary Associations.
  
• The Fédération des Associations Francophones Vétérinaires pour Animaux de Compagnie
  
• The Caribbean Veterinary Medical Association


Dr Ingwersen continued: “While a number of issues impact the supply of veterinary medicines, duplication of the regulatory medicines approval process in various regions of the world is one of the biggest and the focus of our joint Position Statement on regulatory convergence.

"The WSAVA Therapeutics Guidelines Group has been working hard on the issue of access to and availability of veterinary medicines and will shortly be announcing the first of a set of practical tools to support veterinarians and their associations to lobby their own governments and regulatory bodies." 


He continued: "To support them, we, as a global veterinary community, will continue to demand change at a global level and our Position Statements are proving effective in increasing understanding and prompting action.

He added: “We thank our colleagues in other veterinary associations for standing with us and we will continue to collaborate closely to ensure that all veterinarians have access to the drugs they need to treat their patients.”