Support Growing for WSAVA Campaign

In recent months, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA)—which recently released global dental health guidelines—has placed a particular emphasis on the need to secure equitable access to veterinary therapeutics on a global scale. Although inequities in availability and access exist for a variety of reasons, WSAVA notes that problems regularly stem from financial or regulatory issues.

In a 2016-2017 WSAVA member survey, 75% of respondents noted that they believed problems in accessing veterinary medical products hampered their ability to meet the needs of patients. Additionally, 20% said the issue severely restricted their ability to provide a high level of care.

“We face a Herculean task in trying to access everything from basic medical consumables, such as syringes and needles, right up to veterinary drugs,” explained Olatunji Nasir, DMV, MVsc, MCVSN, medical director and CEO of the Truthmiles Animal Hospital in southwest Nigeria.

RELATED:

• WSAVA Campaign Seeks Global Access to Veterinary Therapeutics
• Global Guidelines Put Dental Health in the Spotlight

As previously reported by American Veterinarian^®, WSAVA has formed a Therapeutics Guidelines Group to spearhead its efforts to improve access to veterinary therapeutics. The group’s overarching goals are to:

• Develop minimum standards for a veterinary hospital pharmacy to ensure it can support a veterinarian’s ability to provide an appropriate standard of care
• Monitor issues related to access to veterinary therapeutics and recommend solutions using an evidence-based approach
• Engage global stakeholders to raise awareness of the issue and build a collaborative approach to resolution

Since announcing the creation of the Therapeutics Guidelines Group, the association has received endorsements from a number of WSAVA member associations and related organizations. Most recently, The World Veterinary Association, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, and the Federation of Companion Animal Francophone Veterinary Associations have all publicly supported the campaign.

“Difficulty in accessing therapeutics to treat patients is a critical issue for companion animal veterinarians in many parts of the world,” said Luca Guardabassi, DVM, PhD, DECVPH, chairperson of the Therapeutics Guidelines Group. “It causes huge frustration and means that many thousands—probably millions—of animals do not receive optimum care. It’s a situation which requires urgent change and we are determined to bring this about.”

In September, the Therapeutics Guidelines Group will host a high-level summit during the WSAVA World Congress in Singapore where stakeholders from around the world will discuss the issues and recommend practical solutions. “We’re delighted that so many veterinary associations are supporting our campaign,” Dr. Guardabassi said.