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Any feed product that contains an approved animal drug is a medicated feed. We have become familiar with Category I and Category II medications for use in feed and Type A, B and C medicated articles/feeds. Historically, all commercially available animal drugs intended for use in medicated feed were available on an over-the-counter (OTC) basis. Congress recently established a new category, Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) medicated feeds.

Why VFD?
VFD medicated feeds will offer an alternative to prescription status for medicated feeds, requiring veterinary diagnosis for the use of these types of medicated feeds while enabling the feed industry to maintain current, sound practices in the manufacturing and distribution of feed.

VFD Approval
VFD products, like other animal medications, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The determination of whether a product will be approved as a VFD drug or as an OTC drug is made by the CVM.

The VFD Process
A producer would contact the veterinarian to diagnose and treat a health problem. Under a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship you determine that the use of a VFD medicated feed is necessary. You then issue the VFD by filling out a preprinted form. The format of each VFD form will be approved by the FDA-CVM in much the same manner as the label is approved. The VFD feed can only be lawfully fed to animals in a manner consistent with FDA conditions of approval. Extra-label use is strictly prohibited.

The VFD Form
Information that you, the veterinarian, will supply on the VFD form will normally include:

• Producer's name, address and phone number.
• Identification of species, location and number of animals to be treated.
• Condition or disease being diagnosed or treated.
• Name of the animal drug.
• Level of the animal drug in the feed and the amount of feed.
• Date of treatment and, if different, date of issuing the VFD form.
• Feeding instructions with withdrawal time.
• Any special limitations and cautionary statements.
• Number of refills if permitted by the approval.
• Expiration date.
• Your name, address, phone number and signature.
• Veterinarian's license number and name of issuing state.

Record Keeping
VFD forms will be printed in such a way that you may check off many of the items mentioned. The form will be printed in a multi-copy format. As the veterinarian who issues the VFD, you must retain a copy of the form for a minimum of two years. Copies also must be retained for at least two years by the producer and the feed supplier. They must be available for review and copying by the FDA.