Echoing a comment from the association’s President Wijnand de Bruijn at their 7 June event on ‘Innovation in Animal Health and Sustainable Livestock Production’, AnimalhealthEurope Secretary General Roxane Feller said, “We see light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a long tunnel. We now hope for a rapid application of the provisions so that we can improve the availability of animal health solutions for more animals, in more countries in Europe. The new rules lend to a much-improved system which can ensure more medicines become available simultaneously across Europe. This is good news for farmers, vets and pet owners, particularly in smaller member states who have previously not had many solutions readily available or accessible.”
The new rules include a number of positives in terms of medicine safety and addressing antibiotic resistance. A more responsive and risk-based pharmacovigilance system will ensure the continued safety of licensed medicines, and a single EU product database, linked to the EU pharmacovigilance database will help to provide a better overview of products available for use.
When it comes to rules on antibiotics, Roxane Feller commented, “We welcome the plans for the establishment of a list of ‘Critically Important Antibiotics’ for human health based on scientific advice from the EMA and European agencies, and lend our support to clear rules regarding the ban of routine prophylactic use of antibiotics in line with the industry’s responsible use of medicines approach.”