As a vet, pharmacist or suitably qualified person selling veterinary medicines on the internet you must comply with The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (legislation.gov.uk), as amended.

You must:

• be established in the UK
• have an address within the UK
• be registered with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD )
• sell only veterinary medicines authorised for sale in the UK
• supply the medicines from appropriately registered or authorised UK premises
• properly prescribe and supply the most appropriate medicine to treat the animal’s disease or condition
• advise your customers on how to use the medicine safely and on any contra-indications or warnings

See the Retail of veterinary medicines guidance for more information about the retail sale of veterinary medicines.

Registration of online retailers

Internet retailers and online suppliers of veterinary medicines ofmust register with the followingVMD distributionto distribute the following categories:

• Prescription Only Medicine – Veterinarian (POM-V)
• Prescription Only Medicine – Veterinarian, Pharmacist, SQP (POM-VPS)
• Non-Food Animal - Veterinarian, Pharmacist, SQP (NFA-VPS)

mustOnce registerregistered, with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

An) applicationwill foradd registration must be submitted at least two months before the saledetails of the veterinary medicines begins. Existing internet retailers and online suppliers have until 17 July 2024 to register with the VMD.

The VMD will publish and maintain a Register of Online SuppliersRetailers of of veterinary medicines.

You do not need to register to sell medicines of the distribution category ‘Authorised Veterinary Medicine – General Sales List’ (AVM-GSL) and products covered under Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) Schedule 6 online.

Whilst we set up the Register of Online Suppliers of veterinary medicines, the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) will continue to exist in parallel, but we will not consider further applications to be added to the AIRS.

Registration

Register online

To register,register online, you must completeprovide:

• the andpremises returnprofessional theidentification Registrationnumber form– tothis Retailcan Veterinarybe Medicinesthe Online (ODTVMD, 51.3site KB)number, toRCVS theregistration addressnumber givenor onGPhC theregistration form.

  Wenumber

• contact willdetails checkfor that the formcompany hasor beenorganisation correctlythat completedwill andbecome the registration holder
• contact youdetails of someone within 10the workingcompany daysor iforganisation therethat is anyauthorised missingto information.discuss Wethe mayregistration returnwith anthe incompleteVMD
• the formURLs toof you,the whichwebsites would mean you are notapplying registeredto andregister
• the thereforeaddress mustfor notwhere supplyyou’ll POM-V,store POM-VPSand ordispatch NFA-VPSthe medicines online.
  from

The formStart requiresnow the following information:

• full

  Once name,you’ve addresssubmitted andyour detailsregistration, ofwe thewill proposedcontact registration holder

• website(s) you arewithin applying10 toworking.

  You register

• typemust ofnot retailer;supply veterinaryPOM-V, practicePOM-VPS premises,or pharmacist,NFA-VPS SQP retailer
• details of where the medicines areonline storeduntil andwe dispatchedconfirm from
• declaration

your registration.

WebsiteAfter you’ve registered

As a registered online retailer, you must make available on each part of your website where POM-V, POM-VPS or NFA-VPS medicines are offered:

• the statement “registered internet retailer of veterinary medicines”
• the contact details of the SecretaryVeterinary ofMedicines StateDirectorate. Clearly identify this is only for enquiries relating to veterinary medicines purchased online
• a link to the published register

Accredited internet retailer scheme (AIRS)

The VMD previously accredited UK-based retailers of veterinary medicines who met the AIRS criteria. Most of the criteria reflect legal requirements for selling veterinary medicines but there were some additional criteria, such as having links to your professional body’s website on your website so that your customers can verify your details.

The scheme is voluntary and free.

Other legislative requirements

Other legislative requirements may apply to the sale or supply of VMPs over the internet, such as:

• the Distance Selling Regulations
• the Data Protection Act 1998

Advertising

You must comply with the advertising requirements of the current Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, as amended.

Further guidance

For further guidance on what the VMD would consider to be a model internet retailer please use the contact email address below.

Contact

Email: enforcement@vmd.gov.uk