-
VMD publishes its first Inspections and Enforcement Report to strengthen regulatory oversight and drive compliance.
-
Between October and November 2025, VMD conducted 188 inspections, received 200 new enforcement cases, closed 321 cases, sent 219 enforcement letters, removed 77 illegal listings, and sent 5 enforcement notices.
-
Prescription fraud, counterfeit flea and tick treatments and broach limits highlighted as trending issues.
The VMD Inspections and Enforcement Report comes as the first in a new series of reports published every two months to keep stakeholders informed about regulatory compliance, common breaches and enforcement action taken by the VMD in response to reports and intelligence.
Enforcement actions taken and inspection activity
During October and November 2025, the VMD conducted 188 inspections and received 200 new enforcement cases. Enforcement action taken included
- 5 enforcement notices
- 219 letters sent
- 77 illegal listings removed
- 321 enforcement cases closed
In their first Inspection and Enforcement Report the VMD includes a number of key messages to industry, animal health professionals and pet owners to ensure compliance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations and promote animal, human and environmental health.
Prescription fraud persists
Between January 2023 and June 2025, the VMD received 1,852 reports of prescription fraud, with 84% involving tampered prescriptions and 16% complete fabrications. It is illegal to alter a veterinary prescription without permission from the signing vet. Products most commonly involved include dermatitis treatments, anti-inflammatories, cardiovascular medicines and parasiticides.
Counterfeit flea treatment reports surge
Following a joint VMD and Intellectual Property Office warning in June 2025, reports of suspected counterfeit flea treatments have increased seven-fold. Before June, the VMD had received just six reports across all historical data. Since then, 49 have been received – with 11 between October to November 2025 alone.
The VMD has contacted several eBay sellers and retailers in relation to these reports. The VMD urges animal owners to purchase only from trusted sources, remain vigilant when shopping for medicines online and report any suspicious listings. Warning signs of counterfeit medicines include poor packaging, spelling mistakes, unusual smells and suspiciously low prices.
Vet practices reminded to take notice of medicine broach limits
VMD inspections between October and November 2025 found that 18% of vet practices were using medicines beyond their broach limits – the timeframe within which opened medicines must be used. Vets must label products with the date opened and check limits before use. A further 21% of practices failed to record all required information when prescribing or supplying medicines.
Illegal online sales targeted
The VMD continues to tackle illegal sales of prescription-only medicines through unauthorised retailers and social media. In 2024 there were 55 reports, with 52 more in 2025, spanning online marketplaces, social media and websites.
The VMD is launching an intelligence-based project to address this and has removed listings from Facebook Marketplace and Vinted where partly used medicines were being sold. Supplying leftover medicines is illegal, any unused products should be disposed of appropriately.
Read the full VMD Inspections and Enforcement report October – November 2025 to find out more.
Report concerns
The VMD encourages anyone who suspects a breach of veterinary medicines regulations to report it using the online reporting tool.
The next report, will cover December 2025 and January 2026.
For questions or feedback, contact [email protected]