Veterinary pharmacist
A veterinary pharmacist is a specially trained
Synopsis and distinction
US profession
In the United States, this differs slightly from the title of "veterinary pharmacy specialist," who might additionally work in consulting, research, and education for veterinary pharmacy.
In addition to oversight by the
- USDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration
- CFIA
- EMA and its Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use
- Veterinary Medicines Directorate[8][9]
UK profession
In the United Kingdom Veterinary Pharmacy comprises four areas of practice:
- Public Health issues associated with human-animal contact, treatment and prevention of zoonotic disease and vector control
- Veterinary Medicinal Products involving the formulation and supply of veterinary medicinal products by dispensing or over the counter sale, Regulatory control.
- Animal Welfare involving the provision of advice, prescribing and supply of veterinary medicinal products where legal regulations allow and animal health planning,
- Business Administration including marketing veterinary services and financial control.
In the UK and Ireland, the term Veterinary Pharmacy is not solely the domain of the pharmacist. Other veterinary health care providers may provide elements of veterinary pharmacy to varying extents. Practising veterinary pharmacy does not imply necessarily that the person concerned is a registered pharmacist. A qualification for support staff working within the animal medicines industry was created by the UK Government in 2003, and holders were designated Suitably Qualified Persons (SQPs).[10] SQPs are also known as Animal Health Advisors and are able to carry out veterinary functions similar to pharmacists, except for dispensing veterinary only medicines prescribed by veterinarians and in the distribution category POM-V. There is a similar system in Ireland.
Education
US education
Currently, in the United States, the only available form of veterinary pharmacy education is that of elective courses in pharmacy schools,[3] or in continuing pharmacy education courses. While veterinary pharmacy education is not readily incorporated into most pharmacy degree programs, select opportunities exist for pharmacy students and graduates through Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) and residency programs.[11] Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences are 6-week rotations at different locations that must be completed by pharmacy students during their sixth year of study. The APPE options that exist in veterinary pharmacy are school specific for sixth-year pharmacy students, while the current existing veterinary pharmacy residencies are post-graduate year one residencies (PGY1). Currently, only four programs are in existence in the US at North Carolina State, Purdue University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and UC Davis, none of which are to be applied for through the PhORCAS match, which is the Pharmacy Online Residency Central Application Service.[12]
UK education
In the United Kingdom, pharmacists registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council may dispense and prescribe certain veterinary medicinal products without further training but many pharmacists would struggle to provide a confident and informed service as the amount of veterinary pharmacy included in the undergraduate programme is limited. Further, professional bodies require supplementary training for the practice of specialities.
In 1981, the
The Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA) registers SQPs and they may have species-specific qualifications or may have a qualification covering all species of animals. The training provided by Harper Adams University, leading to a formal academic qualification is provided for both pharmacists and SQPs.
Practice settings
US practice
In the United States, veterinary pharmacy can vary from a clinical setting to a community pharmacy setting. As human medications become more popularly prescribed for animals and more community pharmacies begin to stock animal medication,[6] one of the most common settings for veterinary pharmacy is in an independent, or compounding pharmacy. A compounding pharmacy is a typical establishment for "veterinary pharmacists," as these pharmacies specialize in compounding medication to better fit the needs of a patient, as is often necessary for animal patients. Additional practice sites include mail-order pharmacies or veterinary teaching hospitals.[11] While these positions are less commonly available, pharmacists can be beneficial resources in veterinary schools, due to their knowledge of pharmacology. Of the 28 veterinary schools in the US, 27 employ pharmacists.[11]
UK practice
In the United Kingdom opportunities exist for pharmacists and SQPs in clinical and non clinical environments:
- Academia
- Community Practice
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- Regulatory Affairs
- Retail establishments
- Veterinary Hospital Dispensaries
- Veterinary Practice Dispensaries
SQPs are being encouraged to act as signpost clients to pharmacists or other human health care providers if they detect
Challenges in practice
In the United States, the main challenge to pharmacists in pursuit of a career in veterinary pharmacy is the minimal availability of concrete education on pharmacology in relation to different animals.
- Body covering and body orientation
- Metabolic and toxicological differences
- Pharmacogenetic polymorphisms
These differences greatly affect what medications are safe and how these medications may work in different animals. Some of the most common human medications that must be altered for use in animals include levothyroxine for dogs, prednisone for cats, and insulin for both cats and dogs.[13] It is the responsibility of the veterinary pharmacist to take into account the physiology of the individual animal to safely compound a successful and effective medication.
History
United States
In the United States, The first mention of veterinary pharmacy may date back to around 1960, when literature was published synthesizing veterinary medicine and
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, pharmacists were involved in dispensing veterinary prescriptions, and even treating and euthanasing small animals up to the early 1950s, but this activity largely ceased with the escalating requirements of human health under the growing
See also
References
- ^ "Veterinary Pharmacy: Just a Spoonful of Sugar". Medscape Today. 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
- ISBN 0-85369-534-2.
- ^ PMID 19513154.
- ^ PMID 28075379.
- ^ a b c Magnifico TA, King AM (May 2017). "Understanding the Veterinary Patient". Pharmacy Times. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ^ PMID 27402992.
- ^ Fingleton, Jim (August 2004). "LEGISLATION FOR VETERINARY DRUGS CONTROL" (PDF). No. FAO LEGAL PAPERS ONLINE #38. e Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- ^ "Guidance - Legal controls on veterinary medicines". Crown copyright OGL3. Veterinary Medicines Directorate. 11 July 2018.
- ^ "Controls on veterinary medicines". National Office of Animal Health Ltd. May 2016.
- ^ "Suitably Qualified Persons (SQPs) Code of Practice" (PDF). Issued by the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. Crown copyright. Veterinary Medicines Directorate. April 2017.
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: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b c "Careers in Veterinary Pharmacy". The Society of Veterinary Hospital Pharmacists. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ^ "Veterinary Pharmacy Resident Q&A". Pharmacy Times. April 2015. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ^ PMID 27076821.
- ^ hdl:10059/1402.
- ^ "Launching the VPA". The Veterinary Pharmacy Association. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- Kayne SB (ed) Introduction to Veterinary Medicine for Pharmacists and SQPs. Glasgow: Saltire Books, 2011
- VPA. What you should know about....Selling Veterinary Medicines. VPA/Riverclyde Books, 2014