Use of veterinary antiprotozoal products in the UK, 1998-2002

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate, an agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, collates and publishes reports detailing the quantities of veterinary antimicrobial products sold in the UK by the pharmaceutical companies. For the most part, these reports have focussed on antibacterials. This paper reports, for the first time, the sales of antiprotozoal products (as base active ingredients) in the UK over a five-year period, 1998-2002, to act as a baseline. Trends and patterns in sales of different groups of the antiprotozoal products are also evaluated. It is hoped that knowledge of sales of these products will fill the knowledge gap of the potential for overall development of antimicrobial resistance in the veterinary field and also reinforce the commitment of the UK Government to promote responsible use of antimicrobial products in the veterinary field.