Raffaella’s Literature Update
Ref. Vidhamaly V, Bellingham K, Newton PN, et al. The quality of veterinary medicines and their implications for One Health. BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e008564.
Dear Friends,
Substandard and falsified (SF) veterinary medicines may lead to negative health impacts for animals, farming communities and beyond, but data are scarce and scattered. Therefore, Vidhamaly and colleagues conducted a review of the available public domain evidence. In the 20 studies included in their review, 52% of the 1246 veterinary medicine samples collected in Asia and Africa were substandard or falsified. The most common reason for sample failure was the wrong content of active ingredient(s), and 4.2% of all samples contained incorrect active ingredient(s).
These results do not mean that 52% of veterinary medicines are SF globally, however they indicate that SF veterinary medicines may be a serious public health problem, impacting One Health. For example, antimicrobials with insufficient content of active ingredient will likely not kill the pathogen, yet be enough to engender antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Likewise, SF combination antibiotics risk both treatment failure and the development of AMR, as the desired synergistic and protective effects may not be achieved. Transmission of resistant zoonotic pathogens to humans can directly cause resistant infections in livestock workers and wider impact on human health. Among food animals in which mass medication with antibiotics is often used, products containing too many active ingredients can directly harm animals and humans, and the resulting high level of residue in the environment and food chain can contribute to AMR.
The Authors recommend that future, rigorous studies should fill the knowledge gaps; and that more global investment is needed in the enforcement of regulations on the pharmaceutical supply chain and quality control systems for veterinary medicines.
Have a nice reading,
Raffaella