VMD informal reaction on advertising goes ‘a long way but
not far enough’ to answer communication concerns, says NOAH
The National Office of Animal Health today praises how
the Veterinary Medicines
Directorate are drawing up the new Veterinary Medicines Regulations. The
process of open and detailed consultation has led to a much better and
understandable set of regulations than the original 1968 Medicines Act and
its many amending statutory instruments. There are still a few issues
remaining to be resolved but great strides are being made in an area of
particular concern to NOAH, that of advertising. Discussions with many other
organisations involved with livestock have shown that many share NOAH’s
view.
“The informal response by the
VMD on advertising goes
a long way to answering our concerns expressed following the original draft
Regulations, which NOAH felt would overly restrict the industry’s ability to
communicate to farmers”, explains NOAH chief executive Phil Sketchley.
“However, we feel the VMD’s
proposed changes do not go far enough. NOAH has, particularly over recent
years, been devoting even more effort to self-regulation of promotion, and
earlier this year launched a revised edition of the
Code of Practice for the Promotion of Animal
Medicines, which incorporates many changes and tighter self-regulatory
rules which have already further enhanced our industry’s responsible
approach to advertising, whether it be to veterinary surgeons, farmers or
others.”
The VMD have formally acknowledged that farmers are not
part of the general public, and so advertising of POM-VPM medicines to
farmers should be permitted. They have also acknowledged that there are
significant animal welfare benefits to advertising of and education about
POM-V medicines to farmers, and have moved from the original suggestion that
this should not be allowed, to say that some advertising should be
permitted. The education of farmers through responsible advertising of POM-V
medicines, VMD say, is
important in raising the awareness of disease control measures of
professional owners and keepers of animals and is also relevant for the
Defra Animal Health and Welfare Strategy,
and the importance role played by the responsible use of medicines in good
animal husbandry practice.
VMD have moved away from their original position that no information
should be included in an advertisement which is not in an SPC (Summary of
Product Characteristics), to say that information in the public domain can
be included. However, as it stands, NOAH feels that there could be problems
of definition, interpretation and enforcement if the Regulations were drawn
up in line with the VMD’s
informal reaction.
“NOAH has regularly reviewed its
Code of Practice to take into account
the views of stakeholders, including the veterinary profession,
VMD and others. The
principles of the Code have not changed but the specific detail has evolved
and its sanctions do work in practice. There is no evidence of harm being
done by the current advertising situation,” says Mr Sketchley.
“We firmly believe that self regulation can and does work
and as the VMD have
made it clear that the Regulations will be reviewed every year, we hope that
we, the medicines industry, can continue to operate in such a way without
‘gold plating’ the first set of new regulations,” adds Mr Sketchley. “We are
listening too, and hope to be able to continue to communicate to those that
keep animals by way of a business, with renewed confidence in a strengthened
advertising Code.”
Ends
20 April 2005
Notes for Editors
For further information contact Phil Sketchley or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131,
or visit the NOAH website.
The National Office of Animal
Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent the UK companies which
research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health
products. The association has 32 corporate members and 13 associate
members. In 2004 NOAH's members accounted for well over 90% of the £420
million UK animal health market
|
