Volume 19, Number 1, February 2000

From The President

On behalf of the entire membership of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, I wish everyone a productive and profitable New Year. Now that we have eased past the concerns over the Y2K computer bug, we can now get down to the business of fostering veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics in the academic, industrial, and governmental settings.

These are rapidly changing times. Mergers are affecting the pharmaceutical industry, animal rights issues are changing the way we conduct research and teaching, antimicrobial resistance transfer between animals and humans are affecting some of the very basic ways we have been rearing livestock, and the consternation over genetically modified organisms is now altering the way the agricultural community is intending to provide more wholesome and plentiful food to humans and animals.

The times are changing for the AAVPT as well, and the results of the recent survey have been tabulated. My interpretation is that the participating AAVPT membership wants a biennial symposium to be affiliated with another national meeting, but the constituency is split over whether that should be primarily a veterinary meeting or primarily a pharmacology meeting. The AAVPT Council has recommended that we re-institute the Biennial Symposium in 2001, and that it be affiliated with the Annual Forum of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. We will have our meeting either prior to, or after the ACVIM meeting at the same venue. On alternate years, we will establish a day-long session at a major pharmacology meeting (such as the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics [ASPET] or American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics [ASCPT]) to foster our integration with the state-of-the-art research going on outside of the traditional paradigm of veterinary pharmacology.

We can only function effectively as a viable organization with everyone doing his/her part. Because of such widespread and drastic changes occurring, we must flex to meet the changing need for veterinary pharmacology. We must innovate. We must think of new ways to teach veterinary students and veterinarians the fundamentals of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics. We must challenge the classic dogmas to uncover new ways to treat and control disease. We must synchronize animal health with public health, and show that the treatment of animal diseases can, and does, have a beneficial impact on human health.

In 2000, the AAVPT Council meeting and Annual Business Meeting will be held at the ACVIM meeting in Seattle. The Council will meet Thursday, May 25, 2000 at 6-8 p.m. This meeting time is immediately after the combined AAVPT/ACVCP day-long symposium. The Annual Business Meeting will meet on Friday, May 26 from 12-2 p.m. I urge you to mark your calendars and make your travel arrangements now, to lock in your plans to participate.

Mark your 2001 calendars for the renewed AAVPT Biennial Symposium, which tentatively will be held in conjunction with the ACVIM Annual Forum. Details will be forthcoming as we get nearer to date. In the meantime, I urge you to participate in the EAVPT Triennial Congress, this year to be held in Jerusalem from July 30-August 3, 2000. It should be an interesting and productive meeting in the Holy City.

The AAVPT continues to be an organization to whom the veterinary community turns for leadership in the area of therapeutics and disease intervention. Our strength has been based on our tripartite approach to difficult questions - academia, government, and industry. I intend to focus over the next year on expanding not only our membership, but also the active participation of existing members. You can make a difference. I urge you to take an active role in the months ahead, as the AAVPT undertakes new challenges on behalf of our profession.

- Scott A. Brown

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Secretary-Treasurer's Report

Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday.

Dues notices and ballots should have arrived early in January for all members. If you have not received this mailing, please contact me as soon as possible and I will try again. As mentioned previously, dues have not changed ($35 Fellows, $20 Associate Fellows, $10 Student Members), but JVPT subscriptions increased to $68. If you are unsure of your membership category, please check the AAVPT directory (member category is coded to the right of each name), or contact me by E-mail. Remember, we depend upon the membership for support of all AAVPT awards. Please consider making a donation in support of these awards.

Ballots for bylaw changes and new Fellow approval were also included in the mailing, and should be returned as soon as possible. Only ballots received within 30 days of mail-out (by Feb 4, 2000) can be officially counted.

The annual AAVPT Council and Business meetings will occur this year at the ACVIM Forum to be held in Seattle, Washington. The Council will meet from 6 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 25 in Room 304 of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The AAVPT Business meeting will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, May 26, also in Room 304 of the convention center. If you have any questions regarding either meeting, please contact me.

We are working to update our database in preparation for the next AAVPT directory. Please contact me with address corrections, or if you have not previously provided your e-mail address.

We are still trying to locate the following members for whom we have insufficient mailing addresses: Stephen Bai, Raymond Cerniga, Gail Dawe, Theo Roij, Ramesh Garg, Sanja Modric, and Vincent Scialli. If you have any information regarding how to contact these members, please pass it along to me!

The checking account balance is $4544.31, but should grow substantially with infusion of dues payments over the next few weeks. Again, please return your dues payments at your earliest convenience.

Here's to a good year in 2000. Please contact me if I may be of assistance.

- Debbie Kochevar

( dkochevar@cvm.tamu.edu )

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Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics Update

I am pleased to announce that your Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics continues to thrive into the new millenium. We have been actively working with the publisher to give it a new look in 2001. As part of this initiative, JVPT has selected the first recipient for the 1998 Best Paper Prize. The winner is "Comparative in vitro effects of closantel and selected beta-ketoamide anthelmintics on a gastrointestinal nematode and veterbrate liver cells," authored by J.A.Bacon, R.G.Ulrich, J.P.Davies, E.M.Thomas, S.S. Johnson, G.A.Condor, N.C.Sangster, J.T.Rothwell, R.O.McCracken, B.H.Lee, M.F.Clothier, T.G.Geary, and D.P. Thompson; from Pharmacia and UpJohn, Inc in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The paper was published on pp. 190-198. of Vol. 21, No.3, June, 1998. An appropriate prize will be awarded at an upcoming pharmacology conference.

I urge all to submit their work to our journal, and again put out a call for review papers. Finally, the journal would be strengthened if all member's institutions obtained subscriptions to the journal, and where appropriate, advertised in it. Remember, this is your journal and it can only thrive with your full support.

- Jim E. Riviere

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American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology (ACVCP) President's Report

2000 marks the ten-year anniversary of the inception of the college. From the original group of 5 Charter Diplomates, we've grown to over 30 Diplomates and 3 emeritus Diplomates, and have been recommended for full specialty status by the AVMA. To mark this milestone, a busy year is planned.

The ACVCP Credentials Committee, chaired by Dr. Jeff Wilcke, has approved credentials for seven candidates to take the 2000 Phase I or Phase II Diplomate Certification Examination. This year, the Credentials Committee also will be evaluating existing training programs. If you have a clinical pharmacology training program, it must be evaluated and approved this year if you intend to train a candidate for the certification examination.

The Program Committee, chaired by Dr. Cyril Clarke has assembled an outstanding scientific program for the ACVIM Forum in Seattle on May 25, 2000. The program has a strong list of speakers that will cover antiparasitic drugs during the morning session, and new therapeutic aproaches in the afternoon. The program may be viewed at the web site for the ACVIM Forum (http://www.acvim.org). Our scientific program this year is generously sponsored by Pfizer. Please visit the ACVCP's web site at: http://www.acvcp.org. The web site contains job announcements, meetings, information for candidates, and other important documents. Our thanks go to Dr. Jeff Wilcke and his group at Virginia Tech for the outstanding job they've done preparing the web site.

- Mark Papich

( mark_papich@ncsu.edu )

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The ACVCP will have an annual board and business meeting in conjunction with the ACVIM meeting to be held in Seattle. The Board meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening, May 24, 2000. A breakfast (probably continental) business meeting will take place the following morning from 7:30 to 9 a.m. All diplomates are encouraged to attend the business meeting. We are happy to announce a first for the college (at least in a while): a social hour will be offered on Friday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.. All diplomates (and significant others) and examinees are welcome. Specifics regarding room locations will be available at the meeting site.

In anticipation of the business meeting, please E-mail Dawn Boothe (dboothe@cvm.tamu.edu), or telephone her (409- 845-9368) regarding any items that you would like to have added to the agenda. This includes any changes to be considered in the bylaws. Your kindly sending in these items as soon as possible will be much appreciated. See you in Seattle!

- Dawn M. Boothe

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The University of Wisconsin reported in the Jan 15 issue of "New Scientist" that they have developed an alternative to adding antibiotics in poultry feed to promote growth. They administered antibodies that block the action of appetite-suppressing neurotransmitters produced in the GI tract.

The Nov/Dec 1999 issue of the "FDA Veterinarian" reported that the number of Adverse Drug Experience (ADE) reports submitted to FDA for animal pharmaceuticals has increased almost 10 fold in the last 7 years. In 1998, there were over 9,000 reports, and 99% of them were reported by drug companies. Over 40% of these reports were for the product carprofen, which is a widely prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to treat osteoarthritis in dogs. The reason for the overall increase in ADE's has to do more with the increased aggressiveness ( providing 800 #s) by drug companies in collecting ADE's, rather than an inherent problem with the drug.

-David F. Kowalczyk

The Department of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is seeking qualified applicants for a tenure-track position in Clinical Pharmacology, at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. The qualified applicant preferably should have a DVM, or equivalent degree, and PhD in pharmacology and/or board certification in veterinary clinical pharmacology or internal medicine. Experience in teaching veterinary and graduate students is desirable. The successful candidate will be expected to teach the principles of pharmacology and clinical pharmacology to veterinary students, serve as a resource for faculty members with respect to therapeutic protocols and clinical research, and conduct independent research in an appropriate field. Rank and salary are commensurate with qualifications. The College of Veterinary Medicine has a very active small animal clinic, a strong focus in exotic animal medicine, and is developing a Center for the Study of Animal Pain. Review of applications will begin March 1, 2000, and continue until a suitable candidate is selected. Interested applicants are invited to send a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information for three references to: Dr. Ed Ramsay, Department of Comparative Medicine, P.O. Box 1071, Knoxville, TN 37901-1071. Questions may be sent via E-mail to: eramsay@utk.edu.

The University of Tennessee does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status in provision of educational programs and services, or employment opportunities and benefits. This policy extends to both employment by, and admission to, the University. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex or disability in the education programs and activities pursuant to the

requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Inquiries and charges of violations concerning Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, ADA, or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), or any of the other above referenced policies should be directed to the Business Office, 218 Morgan Hall, (423) 974-7275. Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the above address.

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The AVMA has requested speakers for the 2001 Convention in Boston. Tentative plans for the program, as well as the ACVIM Forum program for 2001, include sessions on therapy issues for special patient subgroups (e.g., pregnancy, pediatrics, geriatrics, liver failure, kidney failure), as well as an update on antimicrobial resistance.

The AAVPT also hopes to contribute sessions at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) program to be given next fall in Indianapolis on October 29 - November 2, 2000. The AAPS has initiated a veterinary workgroup, and this may be an excellent opportunity for exchange. Thanks go to Carol Davis for helping to coordinate this activity.

As always, comments and suggestions are welcomed.

- Cory Langston (AAVPT)
langston@cvm.msstate.edu

- Cyril Clarke (ACVCP)
clarke@okway.okstate.edu

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he third in a series of three public meetings to discuss issues related to antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals will be held February 22-24, 2000, at the Doubletree Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.

The purpose of the workshop is to discuss appropriate designs for pre-approval studies to evaluate the microbial effects of antimicrobial drugs intended for use in food-producing animals. Investigation of the extent and rate of resistance development and changes in the number of enteric bacteria present in the animal's intestinal tract that cause human illness is an essential part of the pre-approval evaulation of animal drugs being evaluated for use in food animals.

Registration for the workshop is free, however, registration is required. For further information see the CVM Internet Home Page at: http://www.fda.gov/cvm.

A summary of the ADE reports received by CVM for 1998 may be obtained from CVM's Internet Home Page (http://www.fda.gov/cvm).

The purpose of CVM's ADE report database is to provide an early warning system for adverse effects that are not detected during the pre-market testing of FDA-approved animal drugs, and for monitoring the performance of drugs not approved for use in animals. The ADE reporting system depends upon the detection of the clinical event by veterinarians or animal owners, and the reporting of the ADE to the manufacturer (who is required by law to submit such reports to FDA) or directly to FDA/CVM.

Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, Director of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, was one of five top FDA officials to receive the Presidential Rank Award - among the highest honors given to career Federal civil servants in the Senior Executive Service. The "Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award" is given for long-term accomplishment in providing the highest level of integrity, leadership and personal conduct in their work. A maximum of only five percent of all Senior Executive Service employees were able to receive this award in fiscal year 1999. Congratulations Steve!

- Richard H. Teske

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Editor: Carl E. Aronson

Correspondents

Industry: David F. Kowalczyk

Washington: Richard H. Teske

J.V.P.T.: Jim Riviere

Education: Gordon L. Coppoc

The Newsletter is published three times a year by the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Please kindly address all correspondence to: Dr. Carl E. Aronson, 246 Lynbrooke Road, Springfield, PA 19064-3121 [Telephone:(610) 544-4262; FAX: (610) 544-4262; or by Internet E-Mail: <aronsonc@vet.upenn.edu>].

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