The prescribing of drugs for case in veterinary medicine in Norway was investigated through a cross‐sectional survey. Of the 8741 prescriptions issued for animals included in this study 22% were for drug use in veterinarians' practices. Drugs from all but one therapeutic group were prescribed for use in animals. On average, 49% of the prescriptions were for vererinairy prepirations, 43% were for human preparations, and 8% were for formulations prepared by pharmacies. Of prescriptions for specific animal species, 27% of the preparations were not approved for the intended animal species. The corresponding figures for prescriptions of veterinary and human preparations were 7% and 41%, respectively. Of prescriptions for production animals 17% of the preparations were not approved for the intended animal species, and for pets this figure was 30%.
Abstract Background Antibiotic use data in animals is of interest to understand the development and occurrence of antibiotic resistance in a one health perspective. From 2023 and onwards, it has become mandatory to collect and report data on antibiotic use per animal species or subcategory of species in all EU and EEA countries. Norway collects data on use of medicines for animals through the Norwegian Veterinary Prescription Register (VetReg). It is mandatory for veterinarians to report the use of all medicines for food-producing animals and for pharmacies to report to VetReg all medicines dispensed to animal owners for all animal species and to veterinarians. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of antibiotic VetReg data for 2023, focusing on the information required to fulfill reporting of use data in accordance with the EU-requirements. The quality attributes, accuracy of data and timeliness of reporting, were evaluated using VetReg data, and completeness was evaluated by comparing VetReg data with sales statistics from wholesalers. Results In general, the accuracy varied between the variables and within a variable, depending on if veterinarians or pharmacies were the data source. For example, 97% of veterinary records included the required subcategory of the animal species, while only 17% of the pharmacy's records did. Antibiotic use data in VetReg was calculated to cover 85% of the antibiotics sold by wholesaler to pharmacies. Timeliness also varied - i.e. pharmacies reported almost immediately after dispensing, while 29% of veterinary records were not reported within the deadline of seven days. Conclusions Antibiotic use data for animals in Norway in 2023 could be reported to EMA using VetReg data. The data were, however, not fully accurate and complete. This study revealed several specific accuracy issues and that veterinarians did not always adhere to their deadline for reporting. These findings provide the basis for targeted quality improvement measures and can be transformed to metrics suitable to track the progress of the ongoing quality improvement work.
Compliance with a 10-day course of oral antibacterial drugs in dogs being treated as outpatients at a veterinary clinic was assessed by use of pill count data obtained by telephone interview. The association between compliance and several possible determinants of compliance was investigated. Ninety-five animal owners were included in the study, with 44 per cent reporting 100 per cent compliance with the treatment regimen and as many as 88 per cent reporting a compliance level of 80 per cent or more. The compliance level was significantly higher (P < 0.002) when the animal owners felt that the veterinarians spent enough time on the consultation. Moreover, compliance was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for dogs being treated for gastrointestinal infections compared with those being treated for other diseases.
Strategic and standardised approaches to analysis and reporting of surveillance data are essential to inform antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mitigation measures, including antibiotic policies. Targeted guidance on linking full-scale AMR and antimicrobial consumption (AMC)/antimicrobial residues (AR) surveillance data from the human, animal, and environmental sectors is currently needed. This paper describes the initiative whereby a multidisciplinary panel of experts (56 from 20 countries-52 high income, 4 upper middle or lower income), representing all three sectors, elaborated proposals for structuring and reporting full-scale AMR and AMC/AR surveillance data across the three sectors. An evidence-supported, modified Delphi approach was adopted to reach consensus among the experts for dissemination frequency, language, and overall structure of reporting; core elements and metrics for AMC/AR data; core elements and metrics for AMR data. The recommendations can support multisectoral national and regional plans on antimicrobials policy to reduce resistance rates applying a One Health approach.
The choice of antibacterial drugs for the treatment of bacterial diseases in farmed salmonids changed dramatically during the period 1980‐1994. In terms of treatment doses, oxytetracycline chloride was the most frequently prescribed antibacterial drug during the periods 1980‐1983 and 1985‐1986. In 1984, prescriptions changed in favour of furazolidone and trimethoprim/ sulphadiazine (1:5). Oxolinic acid was introduced for use in farmed fish in Norway in 1987, and immediately became the drug of choice, comprising 36% and 50% of the prescribed treatment doses in 1987 and 1988, respectively. In 1989, flumequine was temporarily approved for use in farmed salmonids, and during the period 1989‐1994 antibacterial drug therapy in farmed salmonids acquired the character of a‘mono‐therapy’with the quinolones flumequine and oxolinic acid. This rapid change‐over in the choice of drug may partly be explained by the development of bacterial drug resistance in farmed salmonids, both to oxytetracycline and trimethoprim/sulphadiazine. The prescribing of furazolidone declined to zero during the study period. The morbidity caused by bacterial infections was defined as the number of treatment doses of antibacterial drugs per kg biomass of farmed salmonids per year. It was estimated that during the period 1988‐1995, an average of 39% (mean value) of farmed salmon received, in theory, an antibacterial cure once each year. In comparison, the corresponding figure for the period 1981‐1988 was 60%. However, in 1993 this figure fell to 13%, and declined even further in 1994 to 2.3%. The practice of on‐farm mixing of medicated feed, using prescribed raw materials (pure drug substances) or premix formulations, declined significantly during the period 1992‐1994. This was due to the introduction, in 1992, of new regulations on the prescribing of drugs to farmed fish.
