The Many Veterinary Pet Medications
There are over three hundred pet medicine
drugs that are currently approved by the FDA
for use on pets such as cats, dogs, and horses.
These veterinary medications consist of the same
main ingredients found in human drugs and must
undergo the same safety and efficiency testing
designated by the FDA. The major drug companies
employ a number of experts in various fields to
manufacture the drugs, including doctors,
veterinarians, lawyers, and biologists.
Typically, less than 1% of all chemicals tested
will be considered safe enough to be manufactured
into a drug for production and sale. Once the drug
company does decide that a chemical could have
potential for use as a drug, the company must
submit an application with the branch of the FDA
that approves animal drug testing, known as the
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Although the
animal drug must pass the same requirements for
safety and efficacy, there are some differences
in the procedure. In animal drugs, the number of
animals in the clinical trial is different than
the number of people in a human drug testing
trial.
Although many pet owners complain about
the high cost of prescriptions for their animals,
veterinarians remind people that drug companies
must charge so much money because it is expensive
to research and develop pet
medication products, procure patents,
perform clinical trials, and receive approval
from the FDA. If the veterinary drug companies
did not turn a profit, then there would be no
incentive for them to create the best medication
for an animal's medical problem. In addition, the
veterinarian or the veterinarian pharmacies where
you obtain the medication must also make a profit
of some sort or there will be no inducement for
them to provide help when your pet is in
need.
Options other than Buying Meds from the Veterinari
If you do not wish to buy your medication from
a veterinarian, you can request that a
prescription be provided for the medication so
that you can take it to the pharmacy of your
choosing. Keep in mind that the veterinarian is
also allowed to charge you a fee if he or she
writes or faxes a prescription for you. However,
the veterinarian is required, ethically, to
provide you with the prescription if you request
it.
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