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The European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences (EUFEPS) was founded 25 years ago by more than 20 national pharmaceutical societies and faculty members. As a pan-European organization, it brings together pharmaceutical societies as well as academic, industrial and regulatory scientists engaged in drug research and development, drug regulation and education of professionals working in these fields. EUFEPS represents pharmaceutical sciences in Europe and is recognized as such by both the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency. EUFEPS cooperates with the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and other European organizations and maintains global connections with agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. EUFEPS has established specified networks forming the basis of its activities. The creation of a Network on Veterinary Medicines is prompted by the manifold problems resulting from the use of veterinary drugs and its inherent interconnections with human medicine, environmental and public health. A long-term goal of this initiative was to expand the spectrum of available therapeutics for use in animals, including the development of innovative delivery systems.

Veterinary medicines account for a substantial portion of the production, sale, and consumption of medicines in Europe, and probably world-wide. This calls our attention to the fact that only healthy farm animals can ensure safe and sufficient livestock products to meet the growing demand for animal protein. Human and veterinary medicine share many common features - expressed and symbolised by the "One Health Concept". This concept forms the logical basis for the maintenance of healthy livestock by the control of zoonoses and foodborne diseases, the prevention of poor sanitary conditions, and the reduction of microbial and parasitic threats, including resistance to antibiotics and anti-parasitic drugs. Achieving these aims will require international cooperation and interdisciplinary action. A new initiative of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences (EUFEPS) - the Network on Veterinary Medicines - has the potential to manage and overcome these challenges. A number of EUFEPS expertise networks have already been established, and some will be instrumental in supporting the activities of the Network on Veterinary Medicines, e.g., the European Network on PharmacoGenomics Research and Implementation (EPRIN), as well as the Network on Bioavailability and Biopharmaceutics, and the envisioned Network on Systems Pharmacology. Notably, the EUFEPS Networks on Safety Sciences, on Environment and Pharmaceuticals and on NanoMedicine as well as on Regulatory Science, represent promising partners. New technologies are being introduced to veterinary medicine for the treatment of numerous and frequently species-specific conditions. Scientific input from different areas is required to evaluate the potential benefitrisk profiles of these novel products, drug delivery techniques, and medical attention for animals as a whole. Drug treatment of food-producing animals inevitably affects consumer safety and public health, as any administration of medicines to animals may result i