Medication Use During Pregnancy

"The safety of most medications taken by pregnant women is unknown and dependent on many factors. Talk with your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.

Talk with your doctor if you are pregnant and you have taken any medication or are thinking of taking any medication. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as dietary or herbal products. Pregnant women should not stop or start taking any type of medication that they need without first talking with a doctor. Women who are planning to become pregnant should discuss the need for any medication with their doctor before becoming pregnant and ensure they are taking only medications that are necessary..."
Pregnancy and medication

Competition in the Pet Medications Industry Prescription Portability and Distribution Practices

"The U.S. market for companion animal medications (“pet medications”) has grown significantly in the last decade. This growth is reflected in increased sales of both prescription and nonprescription (also referred to as “over-the-counter” or “OTC”) medications.  Recognizing the economic importance of the pet medications industry for American consumers,  and in response to legislative proposals regarding prescriptions for pet medications,  the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC” or “Commission”) staff compiled information concerning historic and current business practices in the sale of pet medications.  Staff primarily focused on two related issues that directly affect consumers’ access to competitively priced pet medications:

• the availability of “portable” pet medication prescriptions, obtained from veterinarians and used to purchase prescription pet medications somewhere other than the prescribing veterinarian’s office; and
• manufacturer distribution policies and practices for both prescription and OTC pet medications..."
Pet Medication

Pet Medications Workshop

"The Federal Trade Commission will host a one-day public workshop on October 2, 2012, to examine competition and consumer protection issues in the pet medications industry.  The quality and cost of pet medications is an important pocketbook issue for many consumers.  In 2011, 62 percent of U.S. households owned a pet, and Americans spent an estimated $50 billion on their pets, including nearly $7 billion for prescription and over-the-counter pet medications..." 

FDA Unveils Safe Use Initiative that Targets Preventable Harm from Medication Use
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the Safe Use Initiative, a program aimed at reducing the likelihood of preventable harm from medication use.

“Too many people suffer unnecessary injuries from avoidable medication misuse, errors and other problems. The FDA is launching the Safe Use Initiative to develop targeted solutions for reducing these injuries,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.

Millions of people are harmed every year from inappropriate medication use. Many injuries occur as a result of incomplete access to information about a drug, a patient, or the patient’s condition.

Other preventable sources of harm include unintentional misuse of medications, medication abuse, and attempts at self harm. Unintended exposure to prescription medications such as opioid drugs can cause harm, even death, in a single dose, if taken by someone other than the patient who was prescribed the medication..."