Proposed rescheduling of medications – oral meloxicam and injectable lidocaine – get involved and have your say - submissions due 31st January 2022

In late December 2021 the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA)  proposed amendments to the Poisons Standard, for discussion in March 2022. 

There are two amendments that are relevant to the veterinary profession: meloxicam and lidocaine.

Please go to our get involved page  and have your say on the proposed rescheduling of medications – meloxicam and lidocaine.

The meloxicam amendment is to reschedule oral transmucosal meloxicam  to S6 which would mean that an oral formulation of meloxicam (currently S4, and thus prescription-only) would be available over-the-counter for anyone to access. The AVA does not support this and will be making a submission to this effect. 

The lidocaine amendment  is to remove the recent inclusion of specific injectable lidocaine  formulations from Schedule 5. The AVA is fully supportive of this amendment as  it removes the opportunity for uncontrolled use of a potentially dangerous drug in a broad number of species. 

The TGA is requesting comment on these two amendments and we are encouraging members to comment on these amendments  by submitting a response on the TGA website.  Submissions close on the 31st of January 2022.