The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7229 p878
21/28 December 2002

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DEFRA: Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (www.defra.gov.uk)
Marsh response (PDF 60K)

Government accepts that vets must give written prescriptions

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has accepted most of the main conclusions of the independent Marsh report into dispensing by veterinary surgeons, including that veterinary prescriptions should be written immediately after a diagnosis has been made.

After formal consultation on the report, which was written by a review group led by Professor Sir John Marsh, the Government has accepted eight of the 14 recommendations made, rejected one and deferred decisions on five others awaiting ongoing reviews by the European Commission and the Competition Commission. Some of the other recommendations accepted are that veterinary pharmacy services should be improved in order to reduce costs; farmers, veterinarians and pharmacists should draw up health plans for farm animals; all those involved in prescribing or dispensing medicines for animals should undertake continuing professional development; and cat and dog wormers should be available through pet shops.

The Government rejected a proposal that generic medicines for humans should be prescribed for companion animals, saying that this would hinder the development of species-specific medicines in the future.

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