“At this practice we will always endeavour to follow the medicines prescribing cascade with reference to unlicensed medicines. We will also endeavour to follow good prescribing and dispensing practice, sourcing products from reputable UK suppliers and not prescribing or dispensing excessive product.  We may ask you to read and sign a form to consent to use ‘unauthorised’ medicines, but these will always be prescribed under the cascade scheme and generally fall in category 1. or 2.(a) as detailed below.

Medicines legislation in the UK is not simple and easy to understand, is at constant risk of producing a huge paper trail and can get very time consuming. The cascade is, at first glance, a simple and sensible piece of legislation, but the attached bureaucracy, which seems to come from our own government and professional bodies not the EU, seems excessive and unnecessary to us.

Medicines legislation is probably only a small part of our bureaucratic burden and it is possibly unfair to target it in this way but nobody likes paperwork!”                                        (R Lorrimore 8th September 2009)

One Interpretation of the ‘Cascade’

“If there is no medicine authorised in the UK for a specific condition, the  veterinary surgeon responsible for treating the animal(s) may, in particular in order to avoid unacceptable suffering, treat the animal(s) in accordance with the following sequence:

1. A veterinary medicine authorised in the UK for use in another animal species or for a different condition in the same species.
2. If there is no such medicine, use either:
(a) A medicine authorised in the UK for human  use
(b) A veterinary medicine from another Member State or country outside the EU in accordance with an import certificate from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).
3. If there is no such medicine, a medicine prepared extemporaneously by a  veterinary surgeon, pharmacist or a person holding an appropriate manufacturers  authorisation.”

Extract from the BSAVA web site

For information on the veterinary medication your pet is on, click here to be taken to the ‘NOAH’ site containing data sheets and further information