BackgroundVeterinary medicines have been widely used for the prevention and treatment of diseases, growth promotion, and to promote feeding efficacy in livestock. As the veterinary medicine industry has steadily grown, it is crucial to set up a baseline for the quality of medicine as well as the insufficiency or excessiveness of the active ingredients in drug products to ensure the compliance, safety and efficacy of these medicines. Thus, the 10 years data of post-marketing quality control study was summarized to determine the rate and extent of non-compliance of these medicines and to establish baseline data for future quality control measures of veterinary medicine.ResultsIn this study, 1650 drugs for veterinary use were collected per year from each city and province in Korea and analysed for the quantity of active ingredients according to the “national post-market surveillance (NPMS) system” over the past decade. The NPMS assessment was performed using liquid and gas chromatography, titration, UV/Vis spectrophotometry, and bioassays. A total of 358 cases were deemed noncompliant, with the average noncompliance rate for all medicine types being 2.0%. The average noncompliance rates for antibiotics, biologics and other chemical drugs except antibiotics (OCD) were 1.1%, 1.2%, and 3.0%, respectively. The first leading cause for noncompliant products was insufficient quantity of major ingredients (283 cases), and the second leading cause was the existence of excess amount of active ingredients (60 cases). Tylosin, spiramycin, ampicillin, tetracyclines and penicillins were most frequently found to be noncompliant among antibiotics. Among the OCD, the noncompliance was found commonly in vitamin A.ConclusionThe overall trend presented gradually decreasing violation rates, suggesting that the quality of veterinary medicines has improved. Consistent application of the NPMS assessment and the establishment of the Korea Veterinary Good Manufacturing Practice (KVGMP) will help to maintain the good quality of medicine.

The pharmacokinetics of marbofloxacin in pigs after intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.), and peroral (p.o.) administration and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic indices of this drug against Korean local isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae were determined in this study. Marbofloxacin (2.50 mg/kg of body weight) was administered, and blood samples were collected with designated time intervals. Plasma-extracted marbofloxacin was injected into the LC-MS/MS system. The in vitro and ex vivo antibacterial activities of marbofloxacin were evaluated against 20 isolates of A. pleuropneumoniae. The mean peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) after i.v., i.m., and p.o administration were 2.60 ± 0.10, 2.59 ± 0.12, and 2.34 ± 0.12 µg/mL at 0.25 ± 0.00, 0.44 ± 0.10, and 1.58 ± 0.40 h, respectively. The area under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC0–24) and elimination half-lives were 24.80 ± 0.90, 25.80 ± 1.40, and 23.40 ± 5.00 h·μg/mL and 8.60 ± 0.30, 12.80 ± 1.10, and 8.60 ± 0.00 h, for i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration, correspondingly. The AUC0–24/MICs of marbofloxacin after i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration were 253.86 ± 179.91, 264.1 ± 187.16, and 239.53 ± 169.75 h, respectively. The Cmax/MIC values were 26.58 ± 18.84, 26.48 ± 18.77, and 23.94 ± 16.97, and T>MICs were 42.80 ± 1.01, 36.40 ± 1.24, and 38.60 ± 1.18 h, after i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration, respectively. Thus, marbofloxacin dosage of 2.50 mg/kg of body weight by i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration with 24 h dosing interval will provide effective treatment for the infection of pig by A. pleuropneumonia.