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A cat is not a small dog, and a sheep functions differently than a goat. At the Pharmacy of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, they recognise that no animal is the same, and each animal therefore responds differently to medication. The pharmacy delivers customised treatments, but the future lies in personalised medicine. To achieve this, the pharmacy collaborates closely with researchers.

Tailor-made medication

The Pharmacy of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is unique in the Netherlands: it is the only pharmacy authorized to prepare veterinary medicines in-house when needed. They produce medicines that are not available anywhere else, either because they must be specifically adjusted for an individual animal or because they are not financially attractive enough for large-scale production by the pharmaceutical industry. They also supply zoos throughout Europe and step in when standard medication is unavailable. “This requires a flexible approach while at the same time meeting the strict requirements imposed on medicines,” says pharmacist Sietske Mesu. The pharmacy’s compounding unit is also indispensable to the faculty’s scientific research.

From illegal trade to properly regulated medicine

An example of the contribution made by pharmacies is the treatment of cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), a serious viral disease. Unfortunately, there are no registered medicines available for this life-threatening disease. This led to illegal trade in medicines for FIP. Now, the medicine is prepared safely and responsibly by pharmacies. Veterinarians, pharmacists, and researchers are working closely together to further optimize the treatment for FIP. They are looking at what works for which cats and why.

Personalised medicine 

Ronette Gehring is professor of Veterinary Pharmacotherapy and Pharmacy and happy that her research group is literally housed inside the pharmacy. “There is a nice cross-pollination,” she says. “We are working with the Clinical Sciences department on leukemia in dogs and with Royal GD on antibiotic research in chickens. We are also contributing to innovative methods and AI to reduce the use of laboratory animals.”

A key question in the work of Gehring's research group is: how can we better tailor medicines to individual animals in order to increase their effectiveness and minimize undesirable effects, such as side effects, residues, and antibiotic resistance? “The differences between animal species, and even between breeds, make it necessary to tailor dosages specifically,” she explains. “But generating the necessary experimental data is often ethically and financially unfeasible. This not only limits our knowledge, but also the availability of suitable medicines for veterinarians.”

That is why her group is developing methods to make predictions using laboratory models and computer simulations. “This allows us to combine data into knowledge and use it to predict what an animal needs.” However, measurable data, such as blood values, remain essential. Gehring: “We use techniques such as dried blood spotting, where a single drop of blood from a small prick is sufficient for analysis. This is much less stressful than traditional blood sampling.”

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