Sandy Stuttgen reviews the changes when the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine plan for supporting veterinary antimicrobial stewardship will be fully implemented. As of January 1, 2023, all remaining over-the-counter antibiotics are switched to prescription-only status.
The VCPR is the key that unlocks the medicine cabinet.
Source: Swineweb, December 2, 2022. Link. Under the new rule, producers with current veterinary client-patient relationships (VCPR) may purchase antibiotics directly from their veterinarian or from a distributor with the vet’s prescription.
INSIGHTS: It is now the 11th hour! With veterinarians in short supply, practices need to reach out to their clients and get the relationships established and processes for obtaining antimicrobials in place and understood. It may take a few days of driving from farm to farm, but we believe that time spent will make things easier going forward.