Comment from Dr. Grace Shook
AnonymousOpposeBusiness
Summary: A veterinary practice owner argues that the proposed action unfairly restricts the availability of 50mg compounded Metronidazole tablets for office stock. They contend that these tablets are essential for providing immediate care to small patients who cannot take larger doses or oral solutions due to size, side effects, or allergies.
Metronidazole 50mg tablets are an integral part of our day to day practice, and severe diarrhea such as from giardia does not allow us to wait for an individualized compounded prescription to be manufactured and mailed. You are severely limiting our ability to provide rapid, appropriate, and quality medical care as needed. There is no way for very small patients to take the correct dose when the lowest FDA approved size is 250mg, which cannot be broken to allow for a 50mg dose, which is the strength of the Metronidazole tablets we order for office use as a compounded medication. It has been listed (unjustly) in the reviewed and not available portion of the GFI #256 law. This is going to negatively effect our patients and our ability to deliver care. Additionally, our customer service will be effected for our inability to deliver immediate assistance for what is an upsetting situation for pet owners. The 50mg tablets of compounded metronidazole are the perfect size, and only available size, of oral tablet for small patients and does not contain any of the additives that the oral solutions can contain that can trigger unwanted side effects in patients with drug sensitivities or flavor sensitivities/food allergies. Please reconsider your position on allowing the 50mg oral Metronidazole compounded tablet to be offered for office use/dispensing.