HOME NEWS & EVENTS REDUCING RISK WITH PERSONALISED PET MEDICINE

REDUCING RISK WITH PERSONALISED PET MEDICINE

Specials manufacturer, Nova Laboratories is warning vets about the risks associated with splitting or crushing cytotoxic medication and explaining how personalised pet medicine can help, during VetsNorth and Vet Festival in June. 

Karen Cole, Group Sales and Marketing Manager at Nova, says: “There is a necessity for Specials when it comes to administrating cytotoxic medicines, for two key reasons:

“Firstly, dosing depends on the size of the animal and splitting or crushing medication at a vet practice will not achieve the desired therapeutic dose. The animal may be overdosed which increases the risks of side effects or underdosed which could have a detrimental impact on their survival.

“Secondly, veterinary staff handling cytotoxic medication need to be aware of how to handle it safely and reduce the risk of exposure during preparation. We warn practices against splitting or crushing this medication without the required safety equipment to avoid ingestion which can be carcinogenic.”

Karen continued; “Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed a phenomenal interest in personalised cytotoxic medication as vets have become more aware of these associated risks.

“We’re one of very few manufacturers able to reformulate cytotoxic medications for the veterinary market, with the required environment, equipment and safety clothing to handle this medication safely whilst in its raw powder form before reformulating into a capsule or liquid.”

While some specials manufacturers outsource testing and production, Nova manufacturers and tests all specials in-house in its state of the art facility. This speeds up the turnaround process and means everything happens under one roof following strict processes ensuring stringent quality control.

It is Nova’s diverse product offering, of about 10,000 different formulations of medicines, which offers a unique flexibility for vet practices. It can provide virtually any pharmaceutical dosage form with a 24-hour turnaround on tailor-made medicines*.

Its in-house team of formulation pharmacists are working hard to increase shelf-life and product variability. They also work alongside specialist vets to improve pet compliance, by developing individualised capsules and suspensions to deliver accurate doses. This has also helped to overcome the inaccuracy of dosages attained when splitting a tablet.

The experienced team of pharmacists and technicians at Nova work from MHRA-approved facilities near Leicester with a Manufacturer's 'Specials' Authorisation (Veterinary), among its many licensing credentials. Nova is licensed by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) to provide unlicensed medication, including veterinary-use only drugs, to improve pet compliance.

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