Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
EmailIphone Application    Posted: 27th July 2022
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.
Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Experts to highlight inequity in accessing veterinary medicines
Professor Paulo Steagall.

Professor Paulo Steagall will lead the discussion at WSAVA World Congress.

The inequity in access to veterinary medicines faced by vets in Latin America and other countries is to go under the spotlight at the 2022 WSAVA World Congress.

Many vets struggle to access opioid analgesics to treat pain, leading to the unnecessary suffering of millions of companion animals. 

During the Congress, Professor Paulo Steagall, co-chair of the WSAVA's Therapeutics Guidelines Group (TGG), will lead a session entitled 'Shaping the Future', which will explore both the causes and consequences of accessing vital medicines.

The session will also see speakers from different parts of the world and TGG members talk about potential solutions in a panel discussion.

It follows the launch of the TGG's first List of Essential Medicines for Cats and Dogs in 2020 – a peer-reviewed list of core and complementary essential medicines designed to support the availability of drugs to perform the minimum standards of care. During his talk, Professor Steagall will call for suggestions, comments and revisions of the current list as part of an 'open audit', before it gets updated in 2023.

Professor Steagall said: “In addition to the welfare issues caused by the problems many colleagues experience in obtaining access to veterinary medicines, we should also consider the frustration this causes them as individuals as they are unable to provide the standard of veterinary care they have been trained to deliver. For a profession already under strain, this is just one more burden.

“We are delighted to be putting this issue in the global spotlight during this year’s WSAVA World Congress and hope that our discussions will help to create practical solutions, supporting pharmacovigilance and helping to mitigate the effects of a growing market for counterfeit pharmaceutical products.”

The WSAVA World Congress takes place in Lima, Peru, in October (29-31) and promises a packed scientific programme or cutting-edge thinking and new trends in companion animal care. For more information, visit wsava.org

Image (C) WSAVA.

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.