Courtesy of NAA:

A recording of the January 13, 2023 webinar entitled, Veterinarian Feed Directive and Extra Label Drug Use in Aquaculture Update, is now available on the U.S. Aquaculture Society YouTube channel.  Please click here to access.

The webinar was presented by Dr. Pat Gaunt, Professor Emerita at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Guppy Blair, Branch Chief, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership Program.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified all medicated feeds (3) for aquaculture as veterinary feed directive (VFD) drugs in 2017. VFD drugs must be used within the confines of a veterinary client patient relationship (VCPR) in which the veterinarian and client agree on their use and abide by regulations governing usage.

It is illegal to use a VFD feed in an extra label manner. If the veterinarian realizes that the fish disease is not on label for a particular medicated feed prior to treatment, he or she can still order a VFD feed for extra label drug use (ELDU) under certain circumstances. FDA has agreed to use regulatory discretion for ELDU of a VFD drug in minor species. These points were discussed in detail during the webinar.