This mail is the first of five short messages regarding the Amendments to General Medicine Regulations. These Amendments were also published in Newsletter 91. Please read the information provided in these messages as it will assist you in the handling and use of medicines in practice.
The new General Medicine Regulations came in to effect on 25 August 2017 and rang in a few changes that you, as veterinary professionals should be aware of, so as to save yourself from a possible fine (currently ten million rand) or ten years imprisonment, even in a Magistrate’s Court.
LABELLING FOR VETERINARY MEDICINES (APPLICABLE TO VETERINARIANS)
Medicines or scheduled substances (the medicines) (excluding compounded medicines and medicines for a number of patients) dispensed to individual patients (for a particular animal) for treatment, must be sold in a package in accordance with regulation 13. The package must be labelled and the label must include the following information:
The name of the medicine or the name of each active ingredient or constituent medicine;
The name of the person buying the medicine and a description of the animal/s for which the treatment is intended;
The directions for the use of the medicine;
The name and address of the dispensing veterinarian;
The reference number [unique identifier assigned at the point of dispensing in terms of regulation 35(3)(f)], allocated to the sale of the medicine and a warning, if applicable, in respect of the withdrawal period for such medicine;
The date of dispensing; and a statement identifying the discipline of the medicine, if falling in category D (complementary medicines intended for use humans and animals which are, without further manipulation, ready for administration, including packaged preparations where only a vehicle is added to the effective medicine).
Please contact the Director Legal Affairs, Mrs Dinamarie Stoltz if you have any queries at legaldirector@savc.org.za.
Dr John Adam
Chairperson, Inspections Committee, SAVC
