Recent drug shortages in both the veterinary and human health worlds have forced veterinarians to fall back on drugs unapproved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or face leaving their patients untreated.

The FDA is seeking ways to increase the number of legally marketed animal drugs while maintaining veterinarians’ access to vital unapproved animal drugs. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is working with the FDA to increase the supply of drugs that go through the approval process.

To foster conversation about the drug approval process, the FDA is hosting a webinar for AVMA members on Jan. 26, 2012 from 11 a.m. to noon EST. The webinar, entitled "What You Need to Know: FDA-Approved v. Unapproved Animal Drugs", is designed to inform veterinarians about the FDA’s efforts to address the issue.

The FDA is providing 1,000 lines for AVMA member veterinarians to listen to the webinar live online.

The administration is accepting questions from AVMA member veterinarians on unapproved animal drugs through Jan. 12, 2012. AVMA members should email their questions to [email protected].