From the Guidelines
Veterinary medicine lags behind human medicine primarily due to funding disparities, with significantly less research money allocated to animal health compared to human health. This financial gap limits the development of specialized treatments and diagnostic tools for veterinary use. According to a systematic review of guidelines for in vivo animal experiments, the process of clinical translation is notoriously arduous and error-prone, with only 11% of agents entering clinical testing being ultimately licensed 1. Additionally, veterinarians must be knowledgeable about multiple species with different physiologies, making standardization of care more challenging than in human medicine.
Some key challenges in veterinary medicine include:
- Funding disparities, with less research money allocated to animal health
- Regulatory approval process for veterinary drugs is often slower and less prioritized
- Economic factors, such as financial constraints of pet owners and less common insurance coverage
- Clinical trials face unique challenges in recruitment and standardization across diverse animal populations
- Smaller market size for veterinary pharmaceuticals provides less financial incentive for companies to develop specialized medications for animals
The study by 1 highlights the importance of addressing threats to validity in preclinical efficacy studies, including internal, external, and construct validity. However, these challenges are more pronounced in veterinary medicine due to the limited resources and funding. Despite these challenges, veterinary medicine continues to advance, though typically following breakthroughs in human medicine rather than pioneering them.
From the Research
Reasons for the Gap between Human and Veterinary Medicine
- The lack of synergy between human and veterinary medicine is a significant factor, as they have a strong cultural background in common, but undergraduate and postgraduate education programs often do not offer training in cooperation 2.
- The use of different terminology in anatomy, clinical terminology, and animal classification can lead to miscommunication between veterinarians and doctors, hindering collaboration 3.
- Unlike human medicine, veterinary medicine has not fully integrated the medical humanities, which could provide a more holistic understanding of animal health and welfare 4.
Potential Benefits of Collaboration
- Collaboration between human and veterinary medicine could lead to the development of new treatments and therapies that benefit both human and animal patients, aligning with the One Health approach 3.
- The use of companion animals as models for human diseases could enhance the effectiveness of novel therapies during clinical trials, as they are exposed to diverse environmental and lifestyle factors similar to those experienced by humans 3.
- Interdisciplinary training and unified efforts across both fields could improve the implementation of the One Health approach and foster better collaboration between veterinarians and doctors 3.
Examples of Successful Collaboration
- The development of a veterinary medical humanities could have a potential impact on the field of human medical humanities and vice versa, forcing a re-conception of notions of agency, consent, and the position of "patient" 4.
- The use of warm acupuncture combined with meloxicam and comprehensive nursing has been shown to effectively improve knee swelling and pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, demonstrating the potential benefits of interdisciplinary approaches 5.