Animal Protection Groups Call for Negative List for Human Medicines Used in Pets to Prevent Medical Supply Chain Disruption

With the new regulations on human medicines for pets set to take effect in July this year, animal protection groups are concerned about insufficient progress in drug registration and a lack of consideration for emergency needs, which could lead to a disruption in pet medical care. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA) of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare jointly issued the "Regulations on the Use and Management of Human Medicines for Dogs, Cats, and Non-Economic Animals" in 2024, with a two-year buffer period. The regulations will officially come into effect in July this year, aiming to legalize and manage pet medications and prevent the misuse of human medicines. The upcoming new pet medication system has recently sparked much discussion, mainly due to insufficient drug registration progress, currently less than 30%, and a lack of consideration for emergency needs. Veterinarians, pet owners, and animal protection groups are worried about a disruption in medical care. The APHIA of the Ministry of Agriculture will hold a meeting this afternoon to continue soliciting opinions on the "Regulations on the Use and Management of Human Medicines for Dogs, Cats, and Non-Economic Animals." The Taiwan Animal Protection Administrative Supervision Alliance (TAPASA) today made several appeals, suggesting that the drug list should be changed from a "positive list" to a "negative list." TAPASA stated that the current positive list approach (limited to 701 announced items) is too slow to respond and difficult to cover the diversity and urgency of clinical medical care. TAPASA said that medical science is advancing rapidly, and rare diseases or clinical emergencies are unpredictable. A positive list (only approved after announcement) would mean that laws can never keep up with viral mutations or medical technology. Changing to a "negative list" would give clinical veterinarians the greatest space for treatment, while allowing the government to control truly high-risk or addictive drugs, which is the best solution to protect animal welfare. In addition, TAPASA believes that the new regulations' consultation target of only "professional associations" is unreasonable and should include "pet owner representatives and animal protection groups," as pet owners are the ultimate bearers and payers of pet medical expenses. TAPASA suggests that the government establish a prominent "New Pet Medication System Progress and Clarification Zone" on its official website to promptly update drug registration progress, and at the same time expand the consultation capacity and educational training of the "1959 Animal Protection Hotline" so that anxious pet owners can receive authoritative and correct official answers, rather than groping in online panic. TAPASA said that if life-saving supporting measures such as "veterinary pre-stocking of medicines" and "medical gas distribution" cannot be amended and effectively implemented before July, the government should immediately declare a "delay in implementation" and absolutely not use the lives of pets as experimental subjects for the new system. The Ministry of Agriculture issued a press release yesterday stating that if there are practical difficulties in the clinical implementation of the new human medicine for pets regulations, it will not be rashly implemented. (Editor: Li Xizhang) 1150410