FDA moves to tighten control on animal drugs

The FDA’s committee on animal drug registration resolved yesterday to ask the National Drug Committee to upgrade the status of drugs that affect the central nervous system in animals and sold over the counter from “dangerous” to “specially controlled”.
A prescription from a veterinarian will be required to buy any drug from the four groups –alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, benzodiazepine derivatives, benzodiazepine antagonists and phenothiazine derivatives.
Vets would be severely punished and forfeit their professional licence if the animal drugs prescribed by them are incorrectly used and cause adverse side-effects in humans.
Last week a man reportedly lured patients and their relatives in outpatient wards at Ramathibodi and other two hospitals to drink water mixed with Xylazine, which is a colourless and odourless sedative and muscle relaxant. The victims lost consciousness and had possessions stolen.
Xylazine is classed in the group of alpha-2 adrenergic agonists.
Pending the new regulation, drugstores nationwide would be asked to sell these animal drugs only on prescription, said Pathom Sawanpanyalert, deputy secretary-general of the FDA.
There are only 745 drugstores nationwide allowed to sell these four groups of animal drugs.
Assoc Prof Suvichai Rojanasthien, president of the Veterinary Council of Thailand, said he agreed with the FDA’s move, as it would prevent evildoers from using those animal drugs on people, while not impairing the treatment of animals.