Essential Veterinary Medicines List for Food-Producing Animals
by Jenny Alonge
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately two billion people don’t have access to essential medicines, and the situation is believed to be even worse for animals. In 2020, the World Veterinary Association (WVA) and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) developed an Essential Veterinary Medicines List (EVML) for dogs and cats to help improve global availability of basic veterinary pharmaceuticals. WHO has now collaborated with Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys to release an equivalent list for food-producing animals, including horses, large and small ruminants, pigs, poultry, aquaculture, bees, and rabbits.
The process
Eight global veterinary working groups of specialists in each represented species compiled a prioritized list of medications and vaccines they felt were essential for the animals’ health and welfare. The experts possess practical and academic credentials and represent a wide geographical range. An external global group with expertise in the species reviewed each species medicine list, and World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department members reviewed the lists to ensure prudent antimicrobial use. Medicine lists completed in the first phase included:
- Large ruminants reviewed by the World Association for Buiatrics
- Small ruminants reviewed by the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management
- Pigs reviewed by the Pig Veterinary Society
- Horses reviewed by the International Coalition for Working Equids
Medicine lists for poultry, aquaculture, bees, and rabbits are being developed for EVML’s phase two.
The goal
The EVML is not intended to mandate what medications should be available in every clinic or field kit. Rather, the list aims to help veterinarians know what medications should be available in their health system to prevent and treat specific diseases and conditions. The EVML should serve as a guide for countries or regional authorities to effectively develop or update their essential medicine list. Also, the EVML is not meant to be exhaustive and includes only medicines needed to provide essential, primary health care.
Medications were selected for the list by considering disease prevalence and the impact on public health. Other contributing factors included efficacy, safety, and comparative cost-effectiveness. Listed medications should allow veterinarians to provide proper preventive care and treatment of the most prevalent and important diseases in food-producing animals. The EVML was developed with a global mindset, and each country or region must consider its area’s health risk profile when determining if a medication is considered core or complementary.
- Core — Core medicines are those needed for effective, safe, and cost-effective treatment for priority conditions in a specified area.
- Complementary — Complementary medicines are those needed to treat priority diseases that require specialized diagnostic or monitoring equipment and/or specialist medical care or training.
Global Animal Health data shows that 100% of practitioners in Ethiopia have no access to pain-relieving medications for animals, and 40% lack basic supplies, such as syringes and needles. These global situations make it relatively impossible for veterinarians to safeguard animals from pain and disease. They also put human health at risk.
Veterinary medicine plays an increasing role in global health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 6 of every 10 known infectious diseases in people are zoonotic, and three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in people are zoonotic. This means that vaccinating and treating food-producing animals is critical for preventing potential zoonoses that could lead to disease outbreaks in humans.
In addition, veterinary medicine is crucial for ensuring food security. When animals meant for consumption are healthy, the food we eat is safe.
Veterinary pharmaceuticals are critical for animal and human health and welfare, and the EVML provides the guidance that veterinarians need to determine what medications are necessary to provide appropriate care. The lists for horses, goats, large ruminants, pigs, and sheep can now be accessed at worldvet.org/evml. Essential medicines are listed alphabetically, and filtering options allow for species-specific and medicine-specific searches. This free tool will be updated regularly.
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