FOI release

FOI - Veterinary Pharmaceutical Market Practices

Published 13 January 2026

ATI1123 Request

I request the following information and documents:

1. All records, reports, or studies on the pricing of veterinary medicines in the UK, including comparisons between veterinary and human equivalents, from 2018 to 2025.

2. Documents related to complaints or investigations into anti-competitive practices in the veterinary pharmaceutical sector, including excessive pricing, exclusionary distribution agreements, or delays in generic authorisation.

3. Correspondence between the VMD and stakeholders (e.g., pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer or Bayer, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, or the CMA) regarding veterinary medicine dispensing restrictions or package sizes.

4. Data on generic veterinary medicine approvals, including timelines, barriers (e.g., environmental risk assessments), and any instances of pay-for-delay agreements.

5. Reports on the impact of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 on market competition, including any reviews or proposed amendments.

Our reply

1.) All records, reports, or studies on the pricing of veterinary medicines in the UK, including comparisons between veterinary and human equivalents, from 2018 to 2025.

2.) Documents related to complaints or investigations into anti-competitive practices in the veterinary pharmaceutical sector, including excessive pricing, exclusionary distribution agreements, or delays in generic authorisation.

We do not hold this information. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) does not control the market price of veterinary medicines. Our role is to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of these products, not to regulate what private companies or veterinary practices charge.

The pricing of veterinary medicines is determined by market factors, like how other consumer goods are priced, rather than being subject to the oversight of a national health service.

3.) Correspondence between the VMD and stakeholders (e.g., pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer or Bayer, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, or the CMA) regarding veterinary medicine dispensing restrictions or package sizes.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) regulates the dispensing of veterinary medicines in the UK based on their classification, with restrictions on who can supply them and in what quantity. There are no fixed universal package sizes, but controls on dispensing, particularly for controlled drugs and prescriptions, affect the quantities supplied. Communications on these requirements to Stakeholders are through our published guidance.

Retail of veterinary medicines - GOV.UK

Marketing authorisations for veterinary medicines - GOV.UK

If this information is not what you are looking for, please submit another request being as specific as you can to help us locate it for you.

4.) Data on generic veterinary medicine approvals, including timelines, barriers (e.g., environmental risk assessments), and any instances of pay-for-delay agreements.

The marketing authorisation process for veterinary medicines is described on our website Marketing authorisations for veterinary medicines - GOV.UK and barriers, such as environmental risk assessments, are addressed in regulatory guidance.

All national applications will be processed on one of six timetables that vary in length depending on the complexity and nature of the application under assessment. Timetables for national applications for MAs, ATCs and VHRs - GOV.UK

5.) Reports on the impact of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 on market competition, including any reviews or proposed amendments.

As part of our latest amendments to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations we conducted an impact assessment which is published on our VMD Connect website, along with the consultation documents and responses: Veterinary Medicines Regulations Consultation.