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CONTENTS
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Under the Medicines (restrictions on the Administration of Veterinary Products) Regulations 1994 it is an offence to administer, or to cause or permit to be administered, a veterinary medicinal product unless it is authorised. Exemptions are provided in the Regulations that allow a veterinary surgeon, in certain circumstances, to administer, or to direct someone else to administer, medicines not licensed for use in the species being treated. These options form part of what is collectively known as the “prescribing cascade”, and are only available to the veterinary surgeon into whose care the animal is placed.
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Practising veterinary surgeons in the UK are governed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). The RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct specifies the alternatives that should be followed when no product authorised for use in the UK exists for a condition in a particular species. That situation applies to the treatment of ear mites in ferrets. Vets should therefore choose, in order:
- a product authorised for the same condition in another species or a different condition in the same species (off label use)
- a medicine authorised in the UK for human use, or
- a medicine made up on a one-off basis - a ‘veterinary special’ - by a veterinary surgeon or other authorised person.
Since Frontline is not licensed for use on ferrets and is not licensed for the treatment of ear mites in any species, in any country of the world, none of the above options suggests the use of Frontline to treat ear mites in ferrets.
In the case of exotic species, such as ferrets, the guidelines further say that ‘... most of the medicines used are unlikely to be authorised for use in the UK and owners should be made aware of and consent to this from the outset.’
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