It should always be remembered that it is illegal to import medicines without the correct authorization. However, on certain occasions there will be medications that are available abroad, but not in the UK, and it is possible to import these for use with animals under the care of a veterinary surgeon.

1. The first step is to establish a source – this may be the drug manufacturer or it may be a specialist drug importer, e.g. IDIS.
2. The second step is to apply for permission from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) to import the medicine. In general, this will be on a named patient basis only; however, where a drug is in regular use within a clinic (e.g. depot doxycycline injection for psittacosis therapy in avian practices), it may be possible to apply for a licence to hold stock. In these cases it is essential that the VMD is supplied monthly with a list showing drug use and the name, address and details of each animal for which the drug has been supplied. Otherwise, stock should not held and any excess (e.g. following death of the patient before the end of therapy) should be disposed of in a suitable manner. Stock should not be used for other patients nor supplied to other veterinary practices.

Types of licence
There are two types of licence for drug importation.

• Special Treatment Certificate (STC) for non-European or human medicinal products. The initial application must be made in writing. Forms are available on the VMD website and each application costs £30 (price correct at December 2008) per animal treated. Thereafter, repeat applications can be made online and require no additional payment.
• Special Import Certificate (SIC) for European veterinary medicinal products (VMPs).

– These applications can be made online or in writing.
– Where an SIC is requested for a medicine for the first time, a paper-based application must be made which costs £15 (price correct at December 2008).
– Repeat applications can be made online and require no additional payment.
– However, to apply online the VMD must have been notified in writing or by phone, so that the practice applying can be allocated a specific VMD number.

In each case details must be given of:

• The veterinary surgeon applying for the drug importation (the applicant’s Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) membership number should always be provided)
• The premises where the drug is to be used
• Details of the patient for which the drug is to be used (including pet name, owner name and owner address)
• Details of the drug and the importer. The authorization number of the drug in the country of production will also be required
• Amount of the drug, including dose rate, route of administration, calculations of dose required, frequency of doses and number of doses. Combined, this should give the total amount needed: extra ‘just in case’ doses should not be included
• Justification for importation. This is not a means for avoiding the cascade – this should always be followed and drugs only imported where there is no alternative.

– For example, mitotane (Lysodren) was commonly imported for treatment of canine hyperadrenocorticism. Now that trilostane (Vetoryl) is available as an authorized medicine for this condition, mitotane can only be imported to continue an existing course of medication if changing to trilostane is not justifiable or if use of mitotane is justifiable for medical reasons. Cost is not a justifiable reason!
– Where there is an authorized alternative, full justification must be given before an importation licence will be issued. For example, importation of doxycycline (Vibravenos) for the treatment of psittacosis in a Grey Parrot. There is an alternative form of doxycycline (Ornicure) available for use in parrots in the UK; however, this is authorized for use in water. As the larger parrots rarely drink consistently, it is hard to effectively treat psittacosis by this route of administration. Therefore, justification can be made for importing Vibravenos, especially where birds may be additionally stressed and handlers exposed to zoonosis if the birds are handled for direct oral medication (as opposed to weekly injections of Vibravenos). The dose rate is 100 mg/kg weekly by intramuscular injection on seven occasions, and the drug is supplied in 5 ml vials of 20 mg/ml. Once opened the drug quickly deteriorates. A 400 g Grey parrot will require 40 mg of the drug weekly, so justification can be made for importation of 7 x 100 mg vials.

On occasion, emergency importation will be required. For applications made online or by fax, the VMD can usually provide a licence within 48 hours. The licence and prescription can then be sent to the importer.

The VMD website provides full instructions on how to apply for an SIC or STC. It is also vital that all adverse reactions involving imported medicines are recorded and reported to the VMD. Forms are available by clicking here.