The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has today (2 February)
published plans to modernise the Veterinary Medicines Regulations
and maintain the UK as an attractive place to develop and market
veterinary medicines.
The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 set out the controls on
the marketing, manufacture, distribution, possession, and
administration of veterinary medicines and medicated feed. They
are a critical tool to help protect animal health, public health
and the environment.
The government
response published today– which follows an eight-week public
consultation last year – includes plans to modernise the
Regulations with requirements that reflect developments in the
industry and reduce regulatory burden where possible.
Updates include encouraging the submission and marketing of new
and innovative products to help increase medicine availability
and introducing further measures to help reduce the development
and spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Overall, the proposals in the consultation received widespread
support from the veterinary medicines sector and the majority of
the proposals will be implemented. The government has listened to
the feedback from respondents and amended proposals where
necessary to ensure they are fit for purpose.
The changes will provide improved clarity and consistency in the
Regulations meaning more certainty for those involved in the
health and welfare of animals.
Abi Seager, Veterinary Medicine Directorate Chief
Executive Officer said:
“We are grateful to everyone who took the time to provide
considered responses to our consultation.
“We are pleased with the support for the proposed changes. Where
the feedback identified disproportionate impacts on certain
businesses or unintended consequences on animal health and
welfare, we have acted and amended our proposals.
“We look forward to continuing engagement with all our
stakeholders and support them through the implementation of the
upcoming changes.”
The new Regulations build upon wider work on antimicrobial
resistance outlined in the UK’s
20-year vision to contain and control antimicrobial resistance by
2024, delivered through the UK’s
5 year National Action Plan for AMR.
The recent UK-Veterinary Antimicrobial
Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) Report showed that
sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals fell by
nearly 10 percent in the last year and have fallen by 59% since
2014.
The Veterinary
Medicines Directorate (VMD) is a regulatory and policy lead
body responsible for issues concerning the use and manufacture of
veterinary medicines and medicated feed in the UK.
