Drugs and law 1

Question 1

What is the intention of the cascade?

Answer 1

To increase the range of drugs available for veterinary use.

Question 2

How do you use the cascade?

Answer 2

If there’s no medicine authorised in the UK for a specific condition, the vet surgeon- to try and avoid unacceptable suffering- may treat the animal in accordance with:

• A drug authorised in the UK for a different species or for a different condition in same species
• If there isn’t the above then a medicine authorised for human use int eh UK OR a vet drug from another member state/ country outside EU in accordance with an import certificate from VMD.
• If not possible a medicine prepared extemporaneously by a vet, pharmacist of person holding a manufacturers authorisation.

Question 3

What must be the case before human drugs can be used?

Answer 3

There must not be a suitable veterinary medicine available

Question 4

Describe SAES in terms of the cascade

Answer 4

• A vet may choose to use an SAES drug at any time in accordance with the drugs recommended use
• Cascade neither prevents compels use of SAES drugs

Question 5

In which circumstances would you need an STC?

Answer 5

• For drugs that don’t have full marketing authorisation
• a drug authorised in a country outside the EU
• human medicine from out the UK

Question 6

What are the minimum withdrawal times for different food animals?

Answer 6

• Meat/ poultry= 28 days
• Milk= 7 days
• Eggs= 7 days
• Fish= 500 degree days for meat from fish

Question 7

Describe controlled drugs

Answer 7

• Under Misuse of Drug Regulations 2001 Controlled Drugs are classified into 5 schedules

Question 8

What is schedule 1 of CDs?

Answer 8

• Vets have NO authority to possess

- Home office license needed to possess it

Question 9

What is schedule 2 of CDs?

Answer 9

Morphine, pethidine, fentanyl, methadone, ketamine

• Kept in a locked cabinet secured to fabric of the building at all times
• Receipt/ supply must be added to the CD register
• Written prescriptions valid for 28 days, no repeats permitted

Question 10

What is schedule 3 of CDs?

Answer 10

• Buprenorphine, pentobarbital, tramadol

- Subject to safe custody requirements but don’t have to be recorded in CD register

Question 11

What is Schedule 4 of CDs?

Answer 11

Split into 2 parts: Benzodiazepines (diazepam) and anabolic/ androgenic steroids
- No control, invoices must be kept for 2 years

Question 12

How do you dispose of CDs?

Answer 12

-Must be denatures, schedule 2 requires a witness of destruction.