Drugs for Dogs

The Post has a story about Deramaxx, a canine anti-inflammatory cox-2 inhibitor analogue to Vioxx that (like all drugs) has some side effects.  The story includes a link to a website dedicated to collecting reports of adverse reactions in dogs to drugs. 

This paragraph at the end of the story caught my eye:

But many veterinarians resist efforts to force them to share drug information sheets — provided by the companies and endorsed by the FDA — with pet owners. Elizabeth Curry-Galvin, interim director of the scientific activities division of the American Veterinary Medical Association, said vets are trained to discuss possible drug side effects with pet owners, and her organization thinks most do so. She said the association opposes efforts to require vets to give out the drugmakers’ information because “it’s just not the be-all and end-all of the communication that’s needed.”

And yes, lawsuits can ensue from veterinary drug side effects, of course (here’s a lawyer who apparently specializes in them).  I don’t yet see any reports of lawsuits based on Deramaxx.