Market monitoring in the area of veterinary medicines is different from that for human medicines in various specific aspects.
The most significant difference is the aspect of food safety, which is an issue when using veterinary medicines on farm animals. This is an important aspect not only in terms of authorisation but also in relation to market monitoring, since it is essential to ensure that consumers may safely consume milk, meat or eggs. Other differences exist depending on the types of animal treated with the medicine or the number of actors in the market, which is smaller than that for human medicines. These differences are also reflected in the various legal provisions and the mandate attributed to Swissmedic.
Market monitoring of the veterinary medicines market is specifically devoted to the following topics:
- Vigilance for veterinary medicines
- Quality shortcomings
- Differentiation issues in the sector of veterinary medicines
- Advertising for veterinary medicines