§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of(a) farmers' access to generic drugs for use with animals and (b) the current cost structure of dispensing drugs through veterinary surgeons. [79877]
§ Mr. RookerWhen no authorised veterinary medicinal product exists for a condition in a particular species and in order to avoid causing unacceptable suffering, veterinary surgeons exercising their clinical judgment may prescribe for one or a small number of animals under their care in accordance with the following sequence:
- (i) a veterinary medicine authorised for use in another species, or for a different use in the same species;
- (ii) a medicine authorised in the UK for human use;
- (iii) a medicine to be made up at the time on a one off basis by a veterinary surgeon or a properly authorised person.
In addition, veterinarians treating food producing animals under the above arrangements may only use medicines whose pharmacologically active ingredients are contained in a product already authorised for use in a food-producing animal. The products used may include generic products.
Decisions on the pricing of veterinary medicinal products are matters for the companies marketing them, taking account of commercial factors such as development and production costs and anticipated volume of sales. Similarly the cost of veterinary treatment is not governed by statutory rules but is a matter for negotiation between the veterinarian and client.