WSAVA launches essential medicines list audit
“The WSAVA List of Essential Medicines for Cats and Dogs has proved an important step forward in our efforts to improve global drug availability" - Dr Paulo Steagall.
Vets and industry stakeholders are being invited to submit their comments on the current edition of the WSAVA List of Essential Medicines for Cats and Dogs.
The open audit commences Monday, 9 January prior to an expected revised version of the list later this year.
Launched in 2020, the document was developed by the WSAVA's Therapeutics Guidelines Group to address the global challenges faced by companion animal vets in accessing vital veterinary medicines.
The topic was addressed during the recent ‘Shaping the Future’ session at WSAVA World Congress 2022 in Lima, Peru. A stakeholder meeting was also held during the Congress to discuss the issue in more detail and to explore potential solutions.
Dr Paulo Steagall, co-chair of the Therapeutics Guidelines Group, said: “The WSAVA List of Essential Medicines for Cats and Dogs has proved an important step forward in our efforts to improve global drug availability. We know that it is already supporting regulatory decision-making around licensing, registration and approval, as well as assisting with pharmacovigilance.
“As it was launched in 2020, it is now time for its three-yearly review and, for this, we are calling on the global veterinary community to help us so that we can ensure that the document fulfils its purpose of becoming a key element of the regulatory framework and a useful tool to ensure access to veterinary medicines globally.
“We are keen to hear from veterinarians, from industry and from all other stakeholders with their suggestions and comments as to what the core and complementary medicines for treating the most frequent and important diseases in small animal companion medicine should be. This will ensure that the 2023 edition of the WSAVA Essential Medicines List for Cats and Dogs is fully up-to-date when we release it later in the year.”
The document is available for free on the WSAVA website, including core and complementary essential medicines, listed alphabetically, either by drug category or organ system/specialty.
Submissions should be sent to the WSAVA Therapeutics Guidelines Group at wsavatgg@gmail.com by 31 March 2023.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
