Dear Reader,

As we go to press, Influenza A H1N1 has not developed in the dramatic manner that was feared. It has nonetheless claimed many lives and caused much illness. Let us hope that if a second wave of the virus spreads, it will be mild as opposed to severe. We support the European Commission and the OIE in remaining vigilant.

The new Commission is due to take office in the coming weeks. Veterinary legislation will move from DG Enterprise and Industry to DG SANCO. We look forward to a smooth transition as the staff in Enterprise move to SANCO. We have worked closely with the DG SANCO personnel over the years and feel assured that we are moving into equally capable hands. We will try to ensure that the momentum towards the review of our legislation is maintained.

We note that Commissioner Designate, John Dalli, has a good knowledge of the pharmaceutical sector and we look forward to him bringing objective decision making to bear on the work of DG SANCO.

With DG Research, we note that Commissioner Designate, Maire Geoghegan Quinn brings a lot of experience with her from the Court of Auditors in Luxembourg and her political career in Ireland. From the hearing process, we note the emphasis on reducing bureaucracy whilst protecting public money – a sensitive balance. We note the interest of Mrs. Geoghegan Quinn in the gap between science & society. Perhaps some of the gap can be bridged by her emphasis on research leading to products that create jobs – a tangible benefit to society and one that we share. We note the emphasis on cross border collaboration as a means of ensuring the best value for the investment in research across the EU and the positive words concerning the role of industry in public private partnerships. We look forward to working with Mrs. Geoghegan Quinn.

You will read more about European Pet Night 2010, supported by MEP Caroline Lucas and Horst Schnellhardt, in this edition. It is an important event for us as it is an opportunity to recognise the benefit of pets to society. It also plays its role in bridging the science versus society divide as we show the value of veterinary medicines through the medium of pets. We can all associate with the value of medicines to our pets and so we give life to the slogan “Animals need medicines too!”.

Best Regards,

Declan O’Brien

European Parliament: Caroline Lucas and Horst Schnellhardt to host European Pet Night 2010

European Pet Night will be back on 24 February 2010 to heighten public awareness on the complex issues surrounding the welfare of pets and their role in European society and allow politicians to have a genuine exchange of views with stakeholders from the sector.

It will be Caroline Lucas’ and Horst Schnellhardt’s first European Pet Night as host MEPs. They are passionate animal rights defenders through their involvement in the Parliamentary Intergroup on the welfare and conservation of animals, chaired by Caroline Lucas, or through their professional expertise as Horst Schnellhardt is a veterinary surgeon.

The partner organisations involved in Pet Night will show a different side to the benefits pets bring to society, while supporting welfare and health under the slogan, “We care”:

ADEu - Assistance Dogs Europe, Belgian Police dog support unit, European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Consumers, Eurogroup for Animals, FCI - Fédération Cynologique Internationale, FEDIAF – European Pet Food Industry Federation, FRDI – Federation of riding for the disabled international, FVE - Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, IFAH-Europe - International Federation of the animal health industry-Europe, IAHAIO - International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organisations,

View last year’s video coverage of Pet Night by IFAH-Europe and Europarl TV

Join us on Wednesday 24 February 2010 at 18:30 in the European Parliament’s members salon to celebrate companion animals! This event is subject to registration and to the access restrictions of the European Parliament. View our invitation for more details.

“Healthy pets make happy pets”: UK is gearing up to Pet Month 2010 

National Pet Month will take place from 3 April - 3 May 2010 in the United Kingdom, following in the footsteps of an extremely successful 2009 campaign.

National Pet Month is a registered charity, unique in bringing together animal welfare charities, professional bodies, pet businesses, schools, youth groups and pet lovers, with the common goal of improving the welfare of pets. The trustees are National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA) and Pet Care Trust (PCT).

With the current focus on improving the nation’s health in the UK, National Pet Month’s 20th anniversary campaign which focuses on ‘Healthy Pets Make Happy Pets’, couldn’t have been more timely.

For more information, go to: www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk

European Medicines Agency workshop: bees needs medicines too

The problems in the bee-keeping sector and the decline in the bee population all over Europe and the world are complex and diverse. The availability of veterinary medicines for bees remains a major concern. The European Medicines Agency held a workshop entitled “Medicines for bees - What the Agency can do to increase availability” on 14-15 December 2009.

The workshop brought together experts from the bee keeping and honey production sector, experts in bee diseases and treatment of bees, representatives from the regulatory authorities of Member States, the European Commission, the animal health industry and other interested parties. It provided the opportunity to discuss possible approaches forward to identify the most needed treatment options for bees. The aim of the workshop was to try and identify a list of substances that are essential for the treatment of bee diseases in Europe.

Animal Health companies represented by IFAH-Europe presented the issues they are confronted with when researching and developing veterinary products for bees, a relatively small market where most of the suitable medicines are old, therefore not eligible for data protection. IFAH-Europe presented three case studies and complemented the presentation by the Association of Veterinary Consultants (AVC) on the actual situation and the possible solutions to increase availability of veterinary products for bees.

IFAH-Europe recognises the value of bees for the environment and society and is committed to contributing to the protection of a small but essential species.

The agenda and background document of the European Medicines Agency workshop are available online.

Save the date: IFAH-EUROPE annual conference 2010 "Animal health & the food security challenge"

This year, the IFAH-Europe conference aims to bring together key European opinion leaders, decision makers and food chain stakeholders to discuss the food security challenge and to contribute to a common understanding of the role of animal health in supporting the supply of safe and abundant animal protein.

The conference will be held at the Renaissance Brussels Hotel on Thursday 10 June 2010.  We encourage you all to mark your agendas for one of the main events of the year in the animal health sector.

More information and a draft programme will be made available on the IFAH-Europe website’s Events section in due course.

Please contact Myriam Alcain, Communications Manager, for more information: m.alcain@ifahsec.org

France launches website on veterinary medicines
 
 

IFAH-Europe’s French member association SIMV* launched a website dedicated to veterinary medicines, www.merci-les-medicaments-veterinaires.com (“Thank-you-veterinary-medicines“).
 
What is a veterinary medicine? How are they used to treat animals? Is an environmental impact assessment carried out? Companies from the French veterinary medicines industry joined forces to create a website answering all these questions and more.

The purpose of this website is to offer a vast amount of information about veterinary medicines from their conception to their placement on the market, while dealing with more specific issues such as the position of the industry, initiatives undertaken in favour of animal welfare and increase medicines’ availability for animals, safety issues related to products and their use, minor species… Testimonies are also featured introducing the men and women who, through their daily activities, contribute to bringing new solutions for veterinary surgeons to prevent and cure diseases.
 
This joint endeavour of the French veterinary medicines industry marks a decisive step in their communication activities to provide accurate and pedagogical information about their products and their efforts to research, develop and register new products. Understanding the current and future issues at stake for the animal health market is fundamental to maintain and develop quality therapeutic tools.

*SIMV stands for « Syndicat de l’Industrie du Médicament Vétérinaire et Réactifs» and represents laboratories responsible for bringing animal medicines on the French market. More information at www.simv.org

IFAH-Europe publishes statement on Q-fever

Q-fever is a very contagious zoonotic disease which can infect humans, caused by the bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetti. It is found across Europe, although at the end of 2009 there was a particular increase in the Netherlands, where the government took measures to deal with the situation.

See the full IFAH-statement, with useful links on the disease.

European Medicines Agency /IFAH-Europe info day

The 2010 European Medicines Agency IFAH-Europe Info Day will be held in London on 11-12 March 2010 under the headline ‘The latest developments in scientific review, marketing authorisation procedures and legislation’.

An outline of the programme is available here.

4th VICH Conference: "VICH impact and future expectations"

IFAH-Europe is also actively preparing for the 4th VICH Conference that will take place at the OIE headquarters in Paris on 24-25 June 2010.  The conference is entitled “VICH impact and future expectations” and will begin with a welcome reception at the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) on 23 June 2010. VICH is a trilateral (EU-Japan-USA) programme aimed at harmonising technical requirements for veterinary product registration. VICH stands for International Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products.

The programme, registration details and general information can be found on the VICH website.