Vet loses battle against animal meds monopolies

All veterinarian Howard Covant wanted was for owners of the pets he treated to have the option to buy needed medications for less, at a pharmacy. But after a multiyear battle and an unsuccessful bid to appeal a 2020 decision by the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO), instead Covant has been handed a one-month suspension of his license to practice and a fine of more than $94,000.Historically, veterinary regulations allowed for the re-sale of animal medicines to others (pharmacists or other vets). But in 2015, the CVO changed its regulations to state that this could only be done in small quantities to alleviate a temporary shortage. Up until that time, pharmacist Wendy Chui of Pets Drug Mart had been ordering medications via Covant and other veterinarians after she found that veterinary drug wholesalers in the province were prevented by manufactures from selling to pharmacies. Read: Pharmacies charge less than vet clinics for drugsCovant’s legal troubles started when an employee of Bayer, which manufactures veterinary meds, filed a complaint with the CVO about his arrangement with Chui which violated that regulation limiting sales to pharmacies.After being found guilty, Covant lost two appeals to higher provincial courts before appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada which in early May decided not to hear his case. In a June 4 article in the Globe and Mail, Covant said that as well as the fine, he expected that in total he would be out an additional $250,000 in legal costs and lost business while he closes his practice for the month of June.Pharmacist fights for increased accessFor her part, the pharmacist Chiu told the Globe she has been working one on one with veterinary drug makers asking them to allow her to purchase drugs for her veterinary specialty pharmacy. Eventually she was able to open an account with national veterinary medicines distributor, CDMV Inc. Chui has been an active advocate for increasing access to veterinary medicines outside of the veterinary office. In addition to filing a complaint with the Competition Bureau, she has been actively speaking in the media and on social media about what she believes is a system set up to avoid competition and value pricing for pet owners.Read: Finding your niche: Animal health: Pets can be perfect patients

Vet loses battle against animal meds monopolies

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