FOI2025/00075 - Recorded Information on Veterinary Medicines Approvals, Complaints, and Competition Impacts
Published 5 February 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vmd-foieir-requests-november-2025/foi202500075-recorded-information-on-veterinary-medicines-approvals-complaints-and-competition-impacts
1. FOI2025/00075 Request
We refine our previous request (your reply referencing “VETFARMA foi”) to narrow scope and assist searches, avoiding s.12 cost exemptions. Date range is 1 January 2020 to 31 October 2025; focus on VMD-held records per VMR 2013 duties (e.g., MA assessments, adverse event monitoring). Disclosure serves public interest in vet market transparency (1.2-2.5B overcharges per CMA 15/10/2025 provisional), outweighing harms request progressive release/redacted versions if exempt (s.43).
Please search using keywords: “pricing disparity”, “excessive cost”, “generic delay”, “dispensing restriction”, “competition barrier”. Limit to first 50 items per question if voluminous.
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Metadata (date, sender/recipient, subject) for complaints/enquiries on veterinary medicines pricing disparities (e.g., 3-4x human equivalents) or exclusionary practices (e.g., contracts restricting vets dispensing), including VMD responses/actions, 01/01/2020-31/10/2025.
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Internal reports/analyses on VMR 2013 impacts on competition (e.g., MA timelines for generics, environmental risk assessments as barriers), containing keywords “generic entry” OR “pay-for-delay”, 01/01/2020-31/10/2025. Redacted summaries if sensitive.
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Metadata for correspondence with Pfizer Ltd/Bayer plc/RCVS on dispensing restrictions/package sizes (keywords “dispensing quantity” OR “vet restriction”), limited to emails/minutes, 01/01/2020-31/10/2025.
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Data on generic MA approvals (e.g., timelines in CSV: application date, approval date, barriers noted), excluding personal data (s.40), 01/01/2020-31/10/2025.
2. Our reply
We are refusing your request under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which provides an absolute exemption for information that is reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means.
The information you have requested has already been provided to you in response to your previous FOI request (reference ATI1123), which covered the same or substantially similar questions.