Once
again, giant box store Walmart is in the business of going after small
businesses. This time it’s veterinary clinics. They have
launched an aggressive campaign aimed at their customers, urging them to
take action and call on Congress to require mandatory prescription
writing by passing H.R. 1406, the Fairness to Pet Owners Act.
Walmart
just sent out this message in support of the Fairness to Pet Owners Act
of 2011.
This
bill requires veterinarians to write a prescription at the time of
prescribing a product for a companion animal, regardless of whether or
not you would also be dispensing the product to your
client. Veterinarians would also be required to provide a
written disclosure notifying the pet owner that they may fill the
prescription through you, the prescriber, or another pharmacy.
This
legislation is unnecessary and redundant. AVMA has a long standing
policy encouraging veterinarians to write a prescription in lieu of
dispensing when asked by a client. And pet owners already have the
freedom to take a prescription to be filled at the pharmacy of their
choice.
Tell
your Member of Congress why they should oppose this bill:
- This legislation is unnecessary and
redundant.
- The American Veterinary Medical Association
is supportive of a client’s right to have their prescription
filled at the pharmacy of their choice and encourages veterinarians
to write a prescription when asked by a client.
- Pet owners have the freedom to take a
prescription to be filled at the pharmacy of their choice.
- State laws already govern veterinary
prescription writing making this bill unnecessary.
- The interests of large retail stores
shouldn’t dictate how veterinarians operate their practice.
- AVMA believes that the prescribing
veterinarian is the most appropriate professional to provide
guidance and education when dispensing a prescription product.
It’s
time for veterinarians to take action! If you don’t speak up, the
only message Congress will hear is Walmart’s!
If you
have questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Ashley S. Morgan,
Assistant Director, at the American Veterinary Association’s
Governmental Relations Division at amorgan@avma.org.
Processing ....
