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1994 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 108
Memorializing members of Virginia's Congressional Delegation to support efforts to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to permit veterinarians the use of FDA approved drugs beyond their labeled description in the treatment of animals and to provide the FDA with the necessary authority to regulate their use.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 2, 1994
Agreed to by the Senate, March 8, 1994

WHEREAS, the care and welfare of animals, both food producing and companion, is of primary moral and economic importance to the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the veterinary medical professional is charged with the protection of the health and welfare of animals through treatment, control, and prevention of disease and suffering, and the protection of the public health and welfare by safeguarding the food supply and controlling diseases transmissible from animal to man; and

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the colleges of veterinary medicine, which include the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, to teach appropriate, science-based technologies and therapies; and

WHEREAS, an insufficient number of appropriately labeled drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in animals to treat all known and newly emerging diseases; and

WHEREAS, sufficient economic incentive does not exist for the pharmaceutical industry to seek labeled approvals for every species of animal, route of administration, dosage form, and disease condition; and

WHEREAS, current federal law does not allow for use of drugs in animals beyond their labeled description; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That recognizing the dilemma facing the practicing veterinarian between meeting the needs of animal health and strict adherence to federal law, efforts should be supported to amend the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to permit veterinarians the use of FDA approved drugs beyond their labeled description in the treatment of animals and to provide the Food and Drug Administration with the necessary authority to promulgate regulations to control the use in the event of concerns for public health; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation are encouraged to support these efforts by co-sponsoring and voting for S 340 and H 1423 currently pending before the United States Congress; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.