This article was downloaded by: [University of Prince Edward Island] On: 22 November 2014, At: 17:58 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
New Zealand Veterinary Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tnzv20
The changing nature of animal therapeutics B.S. Cooper Published online: 23 Feb 2011.
To cite this article: B.S. Cooper (1978) The changing nature of animal therapeutics, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 26:11, 265-265, DOI: 10.1080/00480169.1978.34562 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00480169.1978.34562
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
1978
Downloaded by [University of Prince Edward Island] at 17:58 22 November 2014
LEADING ARTICLE
NEW ZEALAND VETERINARY JOURNAL
265
The changing nature of animal therapeutics
The past thirty years: the age of chemotherapy Veterinarians who began practising before the second world wa~ had a~ailable a vast array of drugs, including some synthetic antlbactenals, but medicines were mostly of natural origin and had to be correctly treated, prepared, formulated and packaged for use. The research findings of Fleming, Florey, Selye and others who discovered the biological activity of whole new fa.mi.lies of chemicals, changed the face of medicine seemingly wlthlll a decade or two, and this dramatic shift, from what was essentially materia medica to the new pharmacology, resulted in the rapi? d~velopment of the pharmaceutical industry. Some compa~les Just expanded from their powders and potions style of busllless whereas others, strong in chemical engineering, became ~nv~lved in vaccine and antibiotic production through the applicatIOn of fermentation technology. I t was in the development of penicillin, the original collaborative project between research biochemists and large-scale manufacturers, that industry first demonstrated its essential role in the scaling-up stages of drug development. Since that time, it has become apparent that it is only pharmaceutical manufacturers who have the resources or, indeed, are prepared to set aside the funds necessary to produce a usable drug product from a promising chemical. The first veterinary remedies of the chemotherapeutic era came as crumbs from the rich man's table, the spin-off from research directed towards remedies for human use. Most pharmaceutical research is still directed towards that market. Such has certainly been the history ofthe majority of antibiotics, the steroids, and many miscellaneous drugs. But wherever the potential veterinary market could justify its own research expenditure, such as for insecticides and anthelmintics, one company or another has been prepared to invest heavily in such a market segment. As a result, commercial organisations have tended to specialise in a limited pharmaceutical area and, over the years, have built up well-deserved reputations for expertise in a particular group of active chemicals. With very few exceptions, all the major drugs being used in either human, or veterinary, medicine today have emerged from industrial research and development. Such a rapid and complete change from one style of medicine to ~nother demanded considerable adjustment in therapeutic attitudes among clinicians. Notwithstanding the commercial interests of pharmaceutical manufacturers, it is to the credit of the industry that, with the help oftheir promotional material and technical detailing, field veterinarians were able to master successfully the use of antibiotics, anthelmintics and other novel pharmaceutical products of the time. It is no mean achievement if current estimates are true, that 90% of the existing knowledg~ required for the practice of the medicine-related professions is less than 10 years old. During the same period of rapid growth, the Animal Remedies Board was established with responsibility for regulating the standards of animal remedies and the claims made for them, protecting our markets for animal products from their injudicious use and for protecting public health. According to statute, veterinary clinicians now had special obligations for the storage, administration, distribution and sale of the new generation of drugs. Inevitably, there were some teething problems associated mostly with differences in interpretation of regulations and at least some of these were resolved at a meeting between veterinarians, pharmacists, lawyers, toxicologists and other interested scientists. But certain irregularities remain and mu~h of the prescription poison legislation is undergoing a major review at this time. As a result, there are good prospects that animal remedies legislation, in particular, will become
much simplified. Veterinary teaching at the undergraduate level has had to adapt to the changing drug scene too. Formal recognition ofthat need was expressed in 1975 by the establishment ofa new Chair in the Faculty .0fVeteri.nary Science at Massey University, the professor havlllg speCific responsibilities for medicine and c1ini~al pharmacology; one of the few such appointments at a vetennary school anywhere in the world. After the age of chemotherapy: a time for therapeutic re-appraisal A seemingly endless supply of novel wonder-drugs has been rathertaken for granted over the past 20 years, but now there are indications that veterinarian~ will have to be content with much less. Is it realistic to suppose that a new super-anthelmintic can be made to appear every year or so? And, in the' unlikely event that it can, how soon would the market become saturated? Research is exceedingly expensive, the drug market has become more competitive, the regulatory authorities are more exacting in their demands, and the commercial risk of an inadequate return from research moneys invested by manufacturers is accordingly increased. In response to the mounting pressures, drug companies have made their own rationalisations which usually include stringent economies in research budgets and the withdrawal from the market of many lines with a low profitability. Such 'selective pruning in the therapeutic jungle' may mean fewer products but there are usually worthy alternatives and that move is unlikely to seriously inconvenience anyone. On the other hand, any economies in research may have far-reaching effects in the long-term. If the golden age of drug discovery is nearing an end, veterinarians will have more cause to concern themselves with the best use of existing medicines. The objective should be to obtain a better understanding of individual drug action i.e. pharmacodynamics, and a sound appreciation of how metabolic processes in different species may modify the resulting effect. Studies on pharmacokinetics, or, in other words, what the body does to the drug, have suffered some neglect in past years and a re-appraisal of therapeutics is long overdue. Pharmacokinetics may have experienced a renaissance about this time anyway, as a result of far more published information on the subject. The first veterinary text dealing specifically with drug disposition* is now obtainable, and so is a brand new journal that deals solely with veterinary pharmacology+. There is also a mounting realisation by clinicians that therapeutic ~imitations. are often imposed more by disease pathology than by madequacles of the drug itself. Attention has rightly turned to selection ofthe most appropriate drug, better vehicles, improved methods of administration, and the basing of treatment schedules firmly upon metabolism data: the 'refinement of therapy'. For all its dynamic nature, over the centuries the drug scene has not changed at all in two important aspects. Firstly, each time a drug is used on an animal it is a scientific experiment and, therefore, deserves the utmost care. Secondly, the best advice on clinical pharmacology is as sound, and as relevant, today as it was in the earliest days of medicine; "First, do no harm" (Hippocrates, 460-355 BC). A better appreciation of pharmaCOdynamics and pharmacokinetics should enable us to follow that ancient instruction, and do much good as well. B. S. Cooper
• Baggot, J. D. (1977): Principles of Drug Disposition in Domestic Animals. W. B. Saunders Company. + Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, eds. Yoxall, A. and Shod, c., Blackwell Scientific Publications.
New Zealand Veterinary Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tnzv20
The changing nature of animal therapeutics B.S. Cooper Published online: 23 Feb 2011.
To cite this article: B.S. Cooper (1978) The changing nature of animal therapeutics, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 26:11, 265-265, DOI: 10.1080/00480169.1978.34562 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00480169.1978.34562
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
1978
Downloaded by [University of Prince Edward Island] at 17:58 22 November 2014
LEADING ARTICLE
NEW ZEALAND VETERINARY JOURNAL
265
The changing nature of animal therapeutics
The past thirty years: the age of chemotherapy Veterinarians who began practising before the second world wa~ had a~ailable a vast array of drugs, including some synthetic antlbactenals, but medicines were mostly of natural origin and had to be correctly treated, prepared, formulated and packaged for use. The research findings of Fleming, Florey, Selye and others who discovered the biological activity of whole new fa.mi.lies of chemicals, changed the face of medicine seemingly wlthlll a decade or two, and this dramatic shift, from what was essentially materia medica to the new pharmacology, resulted in the rapi? d~velopment of the pharmaceutical industry. Some compa~les Just expanded from their powders and potions style of busllless whereas others, strong in chemical engineering, became ~nv~lved in vaccine and antibiotic production through the applicatIOn of fermentation technology. I t was in the development of penicillin, the original collaborative project between research biochemists and large-scale manufacturers, that industry first demonstrated its essential role in the scaling-up stages of drug development. Since that time, it has become apparent that it is only pharmaceutical manufacturers who have the resources or, indeed, are prepared to set aside the funds necessary to produce a usable drug product from a promising chemical. The first veterinary remedies of the chemotherapeutic era came as crumbs from the rich man's table, the spin-off from research directed towards remedies for human use. Most pharmaceutical research is still directed towards that market. Such has certainly been the history ofthe majority of antibiotics, the steroids, and many miscellaneous drugs. But wherever the potential veterinary market could justify its own research expenditure, such as for insecticides and anthelmintics, one company or another has been prepared to invest heavily in such a market segment. As a result, commercial organisations have tended to specialise in a limited pharmaceutical area and, over the years, have built up well-deserved reputations for expertise in a particular group of active chemicals. With very few exceptions, all the major drugs being used in either human, or veterinary, medicine today have emerged from industrial research and development. Such a rapid and complete change from one style of medicine to ~nother demanded considerable adjustment in therapeutic attitudes among clinicians. Notwithstanding the commercial interests of pharmaceutical manufacturers, it is to the credit of the industry that, with the help oftheir promotional material and technical detailing, field veterinarians were able to master successfully the use of antibiotics, anthelmintics and other novel pharmaceutical products of the time. It is no mean achievement if current estimates are true, that 90% of the existing knowledg~ required for the practice of the medicine-related professions is less than 10 years old. During the same period of rapid growth, the Animal Remedies Board was established with responsibility for regulating the standards of animal remedies and the claims made for them, protecting our markets for animal products from their injudicious use and for protecting public health. According to statute, veterinary clinicians now had special obligations for the storage, administration, distribution and sale of the new generation of drugs. Inevitably, there were some teething problems associated mostly with differences in interpretation of regulations and at least some of these were resolved at a meeting between veterinarians, pharmacists, lawyers, toxicologists and other interested scientists. But certain irregularities remain and mu~h of the prescription poison legislation is undergoing a major review at this time. As a result, there are good prospects that animal remedies legislation, in particular, will become
much simplified. Veterinary teaching at the undergraduate level has had to adapt to the changing drug scene too. Formal recognition ofthat need was expressed in 1975 by the establishment ofa new Chair in the Faculty .0fVeteri.nary Science at Massey University, the professor havlllg speCific responsibilities for medicine and c1ini~al pharmacology; one of the few such appointments at a vetennary school anywhere in the world. After the age of chemotherapy: a time for therapeutic re-appraisal A seemingly endless supply of novel wonder-drugs has been rathertaken for granted over the past 20 years, but now there are indications that veterinarian~ will have to be content with much less. Is it realistic to suppose that a new super-anthelmintic can be made to appear every year or so? And, in the' unlikely event that it can, how soon would the market become saturated? Research is exceedingly expensive, the drug market has become more competitive, the regulatory authorities are more exacting in their demands, and the commercial risk of an inadequate return from research moneys invested by manufacturers is accordingly increased. In response to the mounting pressures, drug companies have made their own rationalisations which usually include stringent economies in research budgets and the withdrawal from the market of many lines with a low profitability. Such 'selective pruning in the therapeutic jungle' may mean fewer products but there are usually worthy alternatives and that move is unlikely to seriously inconvenience anyone. On the other hand, any economies in research may have far-reaching effects in the long-term. If the golden age of drug discovery is nearing an end, veterinarians will have more cause to concern themselves with the best use of existing medicines. The objective should be to obtain a better understanding of individual drug action i.e. pharmacodynamics, and a sound appreciation of how metabolic processes in different species may modify the resulting effect. Studies on pharmacokinetics, or, in other words, what the body does to the drug, have suffered some neglect in past years and a re-appraisal of therapeutics is long overdue. Pharmacokinetics may have experienced a renaissance about this time anyway, as a result of far more published information on the subject. The first veterinary text dealing specifically with drug disposition* is now obtainable, and so is a brand new journal that deals solely with veterinary pharmacology+. There is also a mounting realisation by clinicians that therapeutic ~imitations. are often imposed more by disease pathology than by madequacles of the drug itself. Attention has rightly turned to selection ofthe most appropriate drug, better vehicles, improved methods of administration, and the basing of treatment schedules firmly upon metabolism data: the 'refinement of therapy'. For all its dynamic nature, over the centuries the drug scene has not changed at all in two important aspects. Firstly, each time a drug is used on an animal it is a scientific experiment and, therefore, deserves the utmost care. Secondly, the best advice on clinical pharmacology is as sound, and as relevant, today as it was in the earliest days of medicine; "First, do no harm" (Hippocrates, 460-355 BC). A better appreciation of pharmaCOdynamics and pharmacokinetics should enable us to follow that ancient instruction, and do much good as well. B. S. Cooper
• Baggot, J. D. (1977): Principles of Drug Disposition in Domestic Animals. W. B. Saunders Company. + Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, eds. Yoxall, A. and Shod, c., Blackwell Scientific Publications.
