In Australia, there are approximately 1,100 prescription animal remedies (veterinay medicines) registered with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA).
Of these pet medicines which require a prescription, (classified as S4 veterinary medicines) there are approximately 560 products registered for use in dogs, 315 in cats and 350 in horses.
While this may seem a large number of products, they are all
prepared from a total of only about 180 active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The top twenty most common classes
of S4 product approved by APVMA include antibacterials, NSAIDs , corticosteroids and local anaesthetics.
In addition to APVMA approved drugs, there are many products known as compunded veterinary medicines. Compounded medicines are veterinary medicines prepared on instructions from a veterinarian are not subject to the AgVetCode Act as they are not included in the definition of a veterinary chemical product and are are not subject to regulation by either the TGA or APVMA (although generally they may only be prepared by a pharmacist because of the active ingredients.)
