The FishMedPlus Coalition, composed of many organisations and institutions active in the aquaculture sector, was established in December 2015. The aim of this Coalition is to increase the greater availability of authorised veterinary medicinal products for aquaculture on the market of European Union and EFTA countries.

The availability of veterinary medicinal products, including vaccines, for use in farmed aquatic animals is extremely low. This situation is a serious constraint on the prevention and treatment of disease, leading to welfare problems and hampering the growth of European Aquaculture. The FishMedPlus Coalition wants to find solutions to this situation and increase the availability of medicines for aquaculture.

The Coalition has been established for a 3-year period and will take a 3-step working approach. First they will do a gap analysis, investigating which products are needed on the market today and in the future. Secondly, they will investigate the barriers and solutions, including environmental risk assessment. Lastly, they will explore ways to stimulate availability of further treatments for aquaculture animal diseases.

The Coalition, chaired by Peter Jones on behalf of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), consists of 10 experts both from the aquaculture industry, academia, regulatory authorities, legislators, the animal health industry and the veterinary profession.

Innovation in medicines for minor species such as fish is of great importance to IFAH-Europe. The animal health industry has called for extension to the periods allowed for the protection of technical documentation of veterinary medicines in the new EU Regulation. This is essential for companies developing such products to have the necessary incentives to expand the range of medicines available and develop better protection against aquaculture diseases.