AVAILABILITY of veterinary medicines on the island of Ireland was a complicated business, made more so by Brexit! The VMD based in London regulates licensing, manufacture and supply in the UK (both GB and NI). Responsibilities are split in ROI: the HPRA oversees the licensing and manufacture part; DAFM (Dept. of Agriculture) the wholesale and retail links in the supply chain.

The situation was easier pre-Brexit as many of our veterinary medicines were dual-licensed with the UK – many of us didn’t know it, and most didn’t think about it: the effect and implications. The UK is a much larger market than ROI, manufacturers might now only have a valid licence for one and not the other, or indeed they might prioritise supply into one market over the other.

A new EU Veterinary Medicines Regulation (EC 6/2019) added to the complications wrought by Brexit (which means the UK is free to tread a separate path) and the Windsor Framework (which constraints matters for NI).

Simultaneously labelled

Differences in labelling, product literature and packaging between market-places equals increased cost; which means reduced availability. Pre-Brexit, dual-licensed medicines could serve both markets simultaneously from one manufacturing batch. For example, in ROI we had drugs labelled ‘VPO’ – Veterinary Practitioner Only - these included sedatives which vets could not supply, only use ourselves; in the UK these were simultaneously labelled VSO (very similar). Now under EC 6/2019 in ROI these are POM (Prescription Only Medicines. Not so in the UK! The intention in EC 6/2019 is to simplify labels, replacing many words with symbols and info-graphics; placing the texts in leaflets instead. The UK seems set to diverge from these requirements.

DAFM are introducing new national legislation to give full effect to EC 6/2019 here:

  • Anti-parasitic products (including dewormers for horses) are set to be reclassified as POM in ROI. Legally, only registered veterinary practitioners can write prescriptions for animals.
  • DAFM will permit (as they already do) that some POMs might be supplied via agri and equestrian merchants (as well as by vets) - but only on foot of a veterinary prescription.
  • DAFM have declared that they will introduce an electronic prescribing system that vets must use for the medicines they prescribe (i.e. POMs) for food-producing species (which includes horses).
  • Electronic prescribing won’t apply to non-POMs such as vitamin injection; but what about POM medicines that vets administer but don’t dispense, such as ‘flu vaccines that have a zero meat withdrawal period? Watch this space ...

    • Growing variance

    In Northern Ireland, under UK legislation, some trained non-vets have historically prescribed some POMs like dewormer products; this looks likely to continue, setting up a divergence in supply chains between one side of the border and the other. Tthere has been growing concern in NI that the availability of veterinary medicines there will be under ever-increasing threat – they depend on supply from GB. As said previously, differences in regulation mean increased cost and reduced availability.

    The bottom line for consumers, i.e. animal owners, is availability – readers want access to a comprehensive range of product with high quality, safety and efficacy standards; these should be available when needed and appropriate, and at a competitive price. Owners need to have confidence in the product and be able to understand the label and instructions however supplied. Growing variance in standards, legislation and supply chain between ourselves and our nearest neighbouring same-language neighbour means more problems – with licensing, with manufacturing and, most importantly to this readership, with supply.

    P.S. some might think that vets can dispense all POMs to clients: not so if the product literature specifies that it can be used only by a vet. Ask them which they can legally dispense and which they cannot!