An Assessment of the Authorization to Sell Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in terms of the Veterinary Profession: I. The Attitudes of Clinicians on the Authorization to Sell Pharmaceuticals

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the attitudes of private veterinary practitioners on the authorization to sell veterinary pharmaceuticals, and the parameters influential on these attitudes. For this purpose, a survey was conducted to collect data from a total of 400 veterinary clinics, 103 of which were specialized in pet animals and 297 were specialized in farm animals and were located in the provinces of Bursa, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Izmir, Konya, Mersin and Trabzon. The analyses of the data demonstrated that the participants had the opinion that the authorization to sell veterinary pharmaceuticals provided additional income, yet led to unfair competition and to the creation of a spot market. 59.3% of the participants were in favour of the authorization to sell veterinary pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, it was claimed that although the authorization to sell veterinary pharmaceuticals should remain with veterinarians, this authorization harmed the veterinary profession. 93% of the participants expressed a strong reaction against the selling pharmaceuticals without performing any clinical examination.