What Does the MUMS Legislation Mean?
by Jon Scheid, Editor, based on a conversation with Dr. Beaulieu and Dr. Oeller FDA Veterinarian Newsletter July/August 2004 Volume XIX, No IV Congress has approved and the President has signed the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act. This legislation adds new options for approving limited-use drugs and provides for a new mechanism to legally market some unapproved products. Here is a discussion of what these changes will mean. Andrew Beaulieu, D.V.M., is CVM’s Associate Director for Animal Health Policy and Operations, and Meg Oeller, D.V.M., a CVM specialist in the area of Minor Use and Minor Species (MUMS). What defines a minor species? Over the years, the Center for Veterinary Medicane (CVM) and the animal health industry have followed the definition of minor species in the Code of Federal Regulations. This defines minor species by exclusion, meaning that the major species have been identified, and all others are considered minor species. Major species are cattle, swine,
