Posted by Administrator on June 16 2004 09:08
Newsletter 2004
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Minor Use and Minors Species (MUMS) Animal Health Act on July 20, providing small ruminant and other veterinarians more options for treating minor species and uncommon conditions.
Mississippi Congressman Chip Pickering championed the House version of a companion bill that passed in the Senate earlier this spring. President Bush signed the legislation into law on Aug. 2. The MUMS Act will provide companies the opportunity to develop and approve minor used drugs, which are of vital interest to a large number of animal industries.
"Restricted market opportunity, low profit margin and the requirement of massive capital investment prevents the economical feasibility of drug manufacturers in pursuing research, development and expensive government approval for medicines used in treating minor species and infrequent conditions and diseases," Pickering said. "This act produces a policy remedy for that problem."
Pickering noted that currently ther is a severe shortage of approve animal drugs for use in minor animal species. These species include sheep, goats, game birds, ranched deer, rabbits, all fish and shellfish. A similar shortage of pharmaceutical medicines exists for major animal species for diseases that occur infrequently, or which occur only in limited geographic areas.
This produces not only unnecessary animal suffering, but could also pose a serious threat to human health while undermining the agricultural industry, said Pickering. "MUMS Act does for animals and agriculture what the Human Orphan Drug Program did for human drug research. MUMS will benefit livestock and food animal producers, animal and pet owners, zoo and wildlife biologists and the animals themselves."
Besides providing benefits to livestock producers and animal owners, this measure will develop incentives and sanctioning programs for the pharmaceutical industry while maintaining and ensuring public human health.
"MUMS creates incentives for animal drug manufacturers to invest in product development and obtain FDA drug marketing authorization, and creates mechanisms to alleviate the shortage of approved drugs while maintaining and ensuring protection of the public health and environment," said Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, who was the chief sponsor of the Act in the Senate.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), American Farm Bureau Federation, Animal Health Institute, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners (AASRP) and other organizations representing minor animal species supported the legislation.