Fighting substandard and falsified veterinary products

The use of substandard and falsified veterinary products (SFVPs) poses a serious threat to animal and public health. These products undermine efforts to control, contain, or eradicate major animal diseases—including zoonoses—and compromise the success of critical vaccination campaigns, such as those targeting peste des petits ruminants (PPR), foot and mouth disease (FMD), and rabies; not to mention the threat they pose to national security. When SFVPs involve antimicrobial agents, they also contribute to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), further endangering both animal and human health. 

To support national authorities in preventing, detecting, and responding to these threats, WOAH launched the programme on Substandard and Falsified Veterinary products in 2022.  

The SFVP programme’s objectives are to: 

Our vision for the SFVP Programme 

TRUVET: the global veterinary monitoring and surveillance system for SFVPs

As part of the SFVP programme, WOAH has launched TRUVET, a dedicated global mechanism designed to help address the threat posed by SFVPs circulating within Members and across borders. TRUVET stands for Track and Report Unsafe VETerinary medicinal products. The Platform supports Members in strengthening post-market surveillance of veterinary product quality by providing tools and guidance to identify SFVPs, improve reporting, and facilitate regulatory follow-up. By reinforcing the integrity of veterinary supply chains, TRUVET plays a critical role in protecting animal health, ensuring the effectiveness of disease control strategies, upholding public trust in veterinary products.

Inspired by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global surveillance and monitoring system (GSMS) for medical products, WOAH aligned with the recommendations made by its Members during the 92^nd General Session, and successfully completed the global alert system on SFVPs.  Today, while the recommendations primarily focused on reporting incidents of SFVPs in vaccines within their territories, Members can also report SFVPs in parasitics and other antimicrobials through TRUVET. Its key objectives are to:   

Calling WOAH Members to join TRUVET 

Today, around 90 WOAH Members are actively engaged in TRUVET. WOAH strongly encourages all Members to join, as the system becomes more robust and impactful with broader participation. 

By joining TRUVET, Members gain access to a comprehensive set of features designed to support SFVPs surveillance and response: 

• Real-time alerts on SFVPs reported to WOAH, both regionally and globally and notifications from partner organisations, including WHO and well-established regulatory networks. 

• Incident tracking and response, with follow-up assessments and tailored recommendations from WOAH. 

• Access for consultation to available datasets, enabling in-country analysis of SFVPs trends and risk factors. 

• A curated repository with links of public databases of registered veterinary products, guidance documents, and surveillance tools, alongside capacity-building opportunities through targeted workshops and webinars. 

• Direct communication channels, to express national needs related to SFVPs detection and reporting to WOAH and dedicated support from WOAH’s SFVPs team for queries, feedback, or technical assistance.