The Op-Ed: Drugmakers Unfairly Restrict Pet Med Pharmacies

For the past couple of years, a Wisconsin pharmacy that specializes in pet medicines has railed against a few big drugmakers – including Merck, Pfizer and the Merial unit run by Sanofi – for restricting its ability to sell prescription drugs to pet owners. In most instances, however, the same drugs can be purchased from a veterinarian. Reports have suggested this arrangement benefits the veterinarians by increasing their business, while the drugmakers stand to gain from having specialists promote specific products. Race Foster, a veterinarian who heads Drs Foster and Smith, an online pet pharmacy, contends many pharmacies that specialize in pet medicines are fully qualified, though, to sell these medications and, moreover, the practice hurts pet owners by minimizing competition. Here are his thoughts… In our opinion, the practice of drug manufacturers restricting distribution of certain veterinary pharmaceuticals largely only to veterinarians is anti-consumer and anti-pharmacist while serving no legitimate purpose. By preventing some fully-qualified pharmacies from obtaining their products, the drug manufacturers limit consumers’ choices of locations they can buy their pets’ medications, leading inevitably to higher prices being charged to consumers. Moreover, the practice is built on the faulty premise, or perhaps excuse, that veterinary medications are safely dispensed only through veterinarians. We agree that it is a veterinarian’s role to treat a pet, includin...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs