Submission Number: 560891-00007 

Received: 7/10/2012 12:55:31 PM
Commenter: Sharon  Matter
Organization: VRS
State: Pennsylvania

Agency: Federal Trade Commission
Initiative: Request for Comments and Announcement of Workshop on Pet Medications Issues, Project No. P121201
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
The underlying issue now and for years has been the monopolistic pricing structure of the manufacturers. They have been colluding to keep prices high, particularly on heartworm preventive and flea/tick preventives. The prices for the former are particularly egregious. We have complained about this for years, but we the veterinarians get blamed for the price of these products. Meanwhile these same manufacturers will divert product to other distributors, driving the price to the point where we can't afford to stock the product or lose money on the product. The price for certain antibiotics are also obscene, especially for those with larger pets. Look at the price of Clavamox, Baytril. The client and veterinarian get crushed and the pet may not get treatment because of it. Make sure you do a thorough investigation of ALL the layers here.