Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs) are authorized by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA)
- They are assessed for safety, efficacy and quality
- All must have a Marketing Authorization (MA)
- Authorized VMPs must display a VM or EU code
There are four main categories of authorized veterinary medicines:
POM-V medicines can only be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon
POM-VPS medicines can be prescribed by a vet, pharmacist or suitably qualified person (SQP)
NFA-VPS medicines can be supplied by a vet, pharmacist or SQP
AVM-GSL medicines can be sold by anyone
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), is the UK’s regulatory authority for veterinary medicines and has responsibility for development of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR). The VMR regulates the authorization, manufacture, distribution and use of veterinary medicines in the UK.