The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced an interim decisionthat they will not amend the Poison Standard Regulations, denying animalsaccess to medicinal cannabis.
Animal health care service provider, Endocannabinoid System Veterinary Centre(eCS Vet), last year applied to the TGA asking for an amendment to the wordingfor the S8 CANNABIS and TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL entries, changing them from“human therapeutic use” to “human or animal therapeutic use”.
The rewording would enable the expansion of the veterinary treatment paradigmin Australia, provide safe access to cannabis products for veterinarypatients, and improve the support for pet owners.
Dr Marta Calvo Blanco DVM, Head of Veterinary Operations at eCS Vet, said thesimple change in wording would have a huge effect on the welfare of animals inthe Australia.
“It will give the animals the possibility of accessing life-changingmedications through the control and support of their vets. This would have agreat impact not only in Australia but all around the world, as many countriesare in a similar situation and will be watching Australia carefully.”
The TGA decided against the word change, stating that the benefits associatedwith cannabis use have not been adequately established and are outweighed bythe risks.
Dr Blanco said eCS Vet disagrees with the reasoning of TGA’s decision, sayingthe TGA is differentiating between doctors and veterinarians, and despitedogs, cats and humans all being different, at the end we are all animals.
“The TGA agrees that the quality control of products containing Schedule 8substances is well-regulated and has no concerns that this would also not betrue for veterinary preparations,” she said.
During the pre-meeting consultation period, TGA received 35 writtensubmissions in response to the public notice. Of these 35, 30 were in support,two were partially supportive, and three were opposed.
Tagged: eCS Vet, Medicinal cannabis, TGA
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