Comment from Hays Veterinary Hospital
AnonymousOpposeIndividual
Summary: A veterinarian (implied by the professional context and specific knowledge of medication sizes) opposes the proposed regulation, arguing that it removes essential bulk medications from veterinary offices. The commenter contends that the change will hinder patient care, particularly for small animals requiring specific dosages, and suggests the move favors compounding pharmacies over veterinary practice.
I'm unsure the reasoning for this change to how veterinary offices operate. This smells like regulatory capture of special interest groups and compounding pharmacies to take commonly used medications out of the hands of veterinarians and pad the pockets of those companies. Veterinarians need to have certain medications available on hand. Pimobendan a specific medication that is medically necessary. Has anyone who wrote this regulation taken the time to look at the size of an FDA-approved VETMEDAN (pimobendan) tablet? They are huge. Most patients requiring this medication are under 10 pounds and the tiny tablet formulations are necessary for increasing compliance. The FDA is overstepping by taking the bulk formulations away from veterinary offices. When we have bulk formulations available, we can begin patients on the necessary medications the same day. This regulation does not have the best interest of patient care in mind and it is infuriating. Not to mention the clients who may be traveling who forget their prescription or clients whose pet destroys their medication bottle, what are they supposed to do now? Go without medications? Wait for the compounding pharmacy to mail them their medications in a few days?. This regulatory change seems to be without thought of patient care. This is asinine. This is regulatory capture. I encourage someone at the FDA whose pet is on medically necessary heart medications to step up and have a frank discussion with their supervisor. The consequences are life and death.