Dr Sheilah Robertson spoke at BSAVA Congress 2016.

WSAVA concerned that access to the drug is still under threat

The WSAVA are calling on vets across the world to support its campaign to ensure continued access to ketamine for veterinary and human medicine.

Although the UN Commission of Narcotic Drugs (CND) recently rejected the international scheduling of Ketamine, the WSAVA remains concerned that access to this essential medicine is under threat.

Speaking at BSAVA Congress in Birmingham (7-10 April 2016), Dr Sheilah Robertson explained that ketamine is a safe anaesthetic which has been used worldwide for over 50 years.

“It does not depress respiration or the circulation and can be used without anaesthetics,” she said. “These characteristics make it the only anaesthetic suitable for both medical and veterinary use in the developing world.

“Ketamine also has particular value ‘in the field’ for humans and animals and is used to treat trauma, traffic and sporting injuries and those resulting from natural disasters and conflict zone,” she added.

“It is often the only product that can be used for dog and cat neutering initiatives, making it critical for the control of zoonotic diseases, such as rabies.”

Led by China, a number of countries have been campaigning to have ketamine ‘internationally rescheduled’. This would prevent access to it in most developing countries as documentation required for international scheduled drugs can be prohibitive bureaucratic.

As a result, the WSAVA say that this would put an end to surgical treatments in many parts of the world, including dog and cat neutering programmes.

But while the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) and the UN CND have both advised against putting ketamine under international control, China has expressed its disappointment and announced that it will lobby for the decision to be revered at future meetings.

The country has a problem with the illicit production of the drug for ‘recreational’ use.

"Together with many other veterinary and medical bodies, we are strongly opposed to moves to schedule ketamine because we regard it as essential for human and veterinary medical practice and for wildlife conservation,” Dr Robertson continued.

"This is a battle our patients can't afford us to lose so we are campaigning to provide a global perspective on ketamine's importance to veterinary medicine and to unite the voices of those who support us. Our petition already has more than 5,000 signatures and we urge vets and others with an interest in this issue to show their support by signing it."

She added: "We intend to keep the debate about ketamine in the spotlight and ensure we are ready demonstrate its value when future UN meetings are proposed.

"China will, no doubt, continue to lobby for it to be internationally scheduled and we would regard this as a disastrous decision. We stand with the World Health Organisation which recently confirmed its view that ketamine is an essential medicine.”

More information about the WSAVA’s ketamine campaign is available at: www.wsava.org/educational/global-pain-council. The petition can be found at http://chn.ge/1RFSou6