New Pet Medication Regulations Face Backlash, Ministry of Agriculture Decides to Postpone Implementation
New regulations on human medications for pets, originally set for July, faced strong opposition due to slow registration progress and concerns from veterinarians, pet owners, and animal welfare groups about potential disruptions to pet medical care. Following a meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine decided to postpone the implementation. To address medication supply issues, the 'approval registration system' will be changed to a 'notification system,' and a dual-track system for obtaining medications will be adopted.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 10, 2026 at 21:32
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:17 (2h 45m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 19:17 (114h 59m after Collected)
Due to the shortage of medicines for sick pets, the "Regulations on the Use and Management of Human Medicines for Dogs, Cats, and Non-Economic Animals" was originally scheduled to be implemented in July this year, hoping to legalize and manage pet medications to avoid the misuse of human drugs.
This new system has recently sparked discussion because it positively lists 701 human medicines that must first be registered by pharmaceutical companies before they can be used for animals. However, the registration progress is lagging, with less than 30% completed, causing concern among the veterinary community, pet owners, and animal protection groups about a potential disruption in pet medical care. The alternative method of obtaining medicines from pharmacies with a veterinarian's prescription for the veterinarian to use also failed to consider night and emergency needs.
This afternoon, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) of the Ministry of Agriculture invited the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Pharmacists' Association, and the Veterinarians' Association to hold a meeting to discuss the draft amendment to the "Regulations on the Use and Management of Human Medicines for Dogs, Cats, and Non-Economic Animals" and solicit opinions from all sectors.
Representatives at the meeting expressed various concerns, including that some medicines are not allowed to be sold in separate doses according to regulations, and if animal dosages are low, whether splitting them would be illegal. There were also concerns about veterinarians being unable to obtain medicines in time for emergencies, at night, in remote areas, or for low-frequency medicines, which could affect animal treatment. Other issues included how to verify and declare the consignment system.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Du Wen-chen did not make a commitment on "whether to implement as scheduled or announce a postponement." Seeing the anxiety of the attendees, she took the microphone and explicitly asked, and Du Wen-chen smiled and simply announced, "Then let's vote by show of hands!" Ultimately, with a 3/4 majority in favor of postponement, the resolution was passed.
BAPHIQ issued a press release this evening stating that the new pet medication regulations will be postponed, and communication will continue to improve the system. First, to solve the problem of the small number of registered medicines, the "approval registration system" will be changed to a "notification system." In other words, pharmaceutical companies will not need to register themselves; instead, BAPHIQ will proactively announce the 701 medicines as animal protection medicines, resolving legal issues.
In addition, external concerns include: "If pets are in emergency situations such as urgent care, at night, in remote areas, or require injections, low-frequency medicines, or medical gases, will veterinarians be unable to obtain them smoothly after the new system is implemented on July 1, affecting pets' right to medical care?"
BAPHIQ stated that after adopting the "notification system," a dual-track system for obtaining medicines can be implemented. In the future, pet medicines can be obtained from pharmacies, and there will also be a consignment mechanism. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies can directly supply medicines to animal hospitals. This will diversify and streamline the supply of medicines, and also solve the problem of inconvenient access to medicines only from pharmacies, which could delay pet treatment. (Edited by Kuan Chung-wei) 1150410
This new system has recently sparked discussion because it positively lists 701 human medicines that must first be registered by pharmaceutical companies before they can be used for animals. However, the registration progress is lagging, with less than 30% completed, causing concern among the veterinary community, pet owners, and animal protection groups about a potential disruption in pet medical care. The alternative method of obtaining medicines from pharmacies with a veterinarian's prescription for the veterinarian to use also failed to consider night and emergency needs.
This afternoon, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) of the Ministry of Agriculture invited the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Pharmacists' Association, and the Veterinarians' Association to hold a meeting to discuss the draft amendment to the "Regulations on the Use and Management of Human Medicines for Dogs, Cats, and Non-Economic Animals" and solicit opinions from all sectors.
Representatives at the meeting expressed various concerns, including that some medicines are not allowed to be sold in separate doses according to regulations, and if animal dosages are low, whether splitting them would be illegal. There were also concerns about veterinarians being unable to obtain medicines in time for emergencies, at night, in remote areas, or for low-frequency medicines, which could affect animal treatment. Other issues included how to verify and declare the consignment system.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Du Wen-chen did not make a commitment on "whether to implement as scheduled or announce a postponement." Seeing the anxiety of the attendees, she took the microphone and explicitly asked, and Du Wen-chen smiled and simply announced, "Then let's vote by show of hands!" Ultimately, with a 3/4 majority in favor of postponement, the resolution was passed.
BAPHIQ issued a press release this evening stating that the new pet medication regulations will be postponed, and communication will continue to improve the system. First, to solve the problem of the small number of registered medicines, the "approval registration system" will be changed to a "notification system." In other words, pharmaceutical companies will not need to register themselves; instead, BAPHIQ will proactively announce the 701 medicines as animal protection medicines, resolving legal issues.
In addition, external concerns include: "If pets are in emergency situations such as urgent care, at night, in remote areas, or require injections, low-frequency medicines, or medical gases, will veterinarians be unable to obtain them smoothly after the new system is implemented on July 1, affecting pets' right to medical care?"
BAPHIQ stated that after adopting the "notification system," a dual-track system for obtaining medicines can be implemented. In the future, pet medicines can be obtained from pharmacies, and there will also be a consignment mechanism. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies can directly supply medicines to animal hospitals. This will diversify and streamline the supply of medicines, and also solve the problem of inconvenient access to medicines only from pharmacies, which could delay pet treatment. (Edited by Kuan Chung-wei) 1150410
FAQ
What was the main reason for postponing the new pet medication regulations?
The main reasons were the slow progress of drug registration and concerns from the veterinary community, pet owners, and animal welfare groups about potential disruptions to pet medical care.
What changes are planned to solve the medication supply problem?
The 'approval registration system' will be changed to a 'notification system,' and a 'dual-track system' will be adopted, allowing medications to be obtained from both pharmacies and animal hospitals.