Comment from STEPHEN BLANTON
AnonymousOpposeBusiness
Summary: Duane Blanton, DVM, representing Wallace Animal Hospital, opposes the FDA's decision to add ponazuril to the list of drugs that cannot be sold for bulk "in clinic" use. He argues that the restriction is harmful because it delays life-saving treatment for weak small animals and that the drug is currently unavailable in a safe form for small animal use.
I find it disturbing that the FDA has added ponazuril to the list of compounded medications that cannot be sold for bulk “in clinic” use in small animals. Ponazuril is one, if not the most, effective treatments for coccidiosis in several species. In my practice, having a safely compounded form of ponazuril available for use in puppies and kittens is invaluable. In many cases, these patients can be weak and dehydrated, and having to wait several days for an individual prescription to be compounded can be life-threatening. Ponazuril can effectively and safely eliminate coccidiosis in as little as 1-3 days, which is a week faster than other, less effective products. Ponazuril is currently only available as a paste syringe for the treatment of equine protozoan myelitis, and is not in a safe form to use in small animals. I request the FDA reverse this unnecessary and harmful decision.
Duane Blanton, DVM
Wallace Animal Hospital