Understanding essential veterinary medicines
An essential veterinary medicine list is a list of drugs which support the primary healthcare and welfare needs of animals, including veterinary medicines and vaccines.
They are not lists of every drug that can be used for animals, just the essential ones needed for their overall health.
Often, these lists focus on animals that contribute to food production as this is the main focus for governments, but they can also include pets like cats or dogs.
An essential veterinary medicine list helps improve access to safe and effective medicines and vaccines for veterinarians around the world, who in turn can support the health of working animals.
Our animal health monitoring data showed vets and paravets didn’t have enough of the vital medicines in their kits, especially pain relief medicines and those appropriate for horses, donkeys and mules.
We realised that essential medicines lists could be a way to make governments ensure that animal health practioners had what they needed in their kits and raise the visibility of working animals’ needs.
These lists can provide animal health practioners with the resources they need to put their skills into action - skills that Brooke can help them to develop through the Animal Health Mentoring Framework.
Why all governments should have an essential veterinary medicines list. Watch the video to see how important essential veterinary medicines are to working horses, donkeys and mules.
In 2024, Brooke and the World Veterinary Association (WVA) launched the first-ever global list of essential veterinary medicines for food producing animals (livestock).
An essential medicines list formed by Brooke Ethiopia and partners has been endorsed by the Ethiopian government, helping to address gaps in the country’s animal health and prevent future pandemics - caused by the spread of disease between animals and people.
Brooke Pakistan launched an event in collaboration with the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, to kickstart creating a national essential medicines list.
We have also received funding from the Fleming Fund, as part of its project on antimicrobial resistance and One Health (the connection between animals, people and the environment). From the grant, Brooke is helping several countries create a national essential medicines list, including Kenya and Malawi.
Essential veterinary medicine lists should be a priority when working to strengthen animal health globally.
What can I do to help?
Give a gift of vital medicines to the working equines who need them most. Your gift supports our campaign to ensure working animals can be treated by every vet.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)'s Fleming Fund is a UK aid programme, supporting up to 25 countries across Africa and Asia to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) - a leading contributor to deaths from infectious diseases worldwide.
The Fleming Fund invests in strengthening AMR surveillance systems through a series of national and regional grants, with fellowships managed by Mott MacDonald and global projects by DHSC.