FDA Approved Veterinary Medications

• The FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration) recommends that when there are veterinary products available, they should be used for our patients.

• Each FDA-approved animal drug goes through a rigorous evaluation process, and prior to approval, is clinically tested for safety and effectiveness in the animal species the drug will be used in. In addition, the FDA thoroughly inspects and evaluates the adequacy of the manufacturing process to ensure that the drug's identity, strength, quality, and purity are preserved. The FDA continues to monitor the drug's quality and safety after it is approved.

• The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is committed to promoting and protecting animal health by ensuring that safe and effective drugs are available for veterinary use.

HUMAN BRAND NAME AND GENERIC MEDICATIONS

• Human brand name and generic drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human usage. A brand name drug is produced by one drug company only. In contrast, generic drugs are usually named after the medication's chemical name, and more than one generic manufacturing company may produce a generic drug.
• Generic drugs contain the same active ingredients in the same dosage form and strength as their human brand name equivalent, as well as have the same effect as the brand name. While brand name and generic medications may be effective in people, there are no efficacy studies in animals. Human generic drugs have not been tested for use in specific animal species for absorption, effectiveness and safety. Therefore, human generic drugs may not be in a form that will be absorbed in animals and will be useless. Or they could also be absorbed too rapidly and have toxic effects. Generic drugs from different manufacturers often behave differently in the same animal. Whenever possible, veterinary approved FDA drugs should be used to treat your pet. This ensures that the medication used is as safe and effective as possible for your pet.

COMPOUNDED PRESCRIPTIONS

• Compounded medications are prescriptions that are written by veterinarians and prepared by specially trained pharmacists for individual pets. They are not commercially available; rather, they are prescribed by your veterinarian and prepared by a pharmacist to meet your individual pet's unique needs. Compounded medications are necessary when a veterinary or manufactured option is not available. Compounded medications THAT ARE NOT PREPARED BY A TRAINED PHARMACIST should not be used in your pets!

• However, an animal drug that is compounded from bulk drug ingredients is not FDA-approved. Therefore, the safety and effectiveness of the compounded drug, as well as the adequacy of the manufacturing process, have not been evaluated by the FDA. The Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB^™) was formed to provide quality standards for compounding pharmacy through a voluntary accreditation program. While PCAB Accreditation does not replace the FDA, it provides us and our clients with the best way to select a pharmacy that meets high quality standards. In addition, the American Animal Hospital Association endorses the accreditation program of the PCAB and strongly recommends that veterinarians acquire compounded medications from PCAB accredited pharmacies whenever feasible.

• At Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital, when approved medications are not available and the best alternative is compounded medications, the compounded prescriptions are prepared by specially trained pharmacists at Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board accredited pharmacies whenever possible.