Who is this publication intended for

• Current licensees of veterinary practice (veterinary clinics/veterinary medicine institutions) - owners and managers.
• Practitioning veterinarians working in licensed institutions (organization of appointments, prescriptions, use of drugs, documentation).
• Members of the NGO SVVS - as a basis for bringing processes into line with the requirements of Law No. 1206-IX and preparing for inspections/audits.

Note: the material is for informational purposes only and does not replace individual legal advice for your specific business model (service vs. sales/dispensing of drugs).

Why it is “not a step, but a whole floor” closer to the EU - and why it is important for international partners

Law No. 1206-IX forms a system, not a set of disparate norms: control of prescriptions and antimicrobials, traceability of drug circulation, mandatory records, annual inventory reconciliation (audit/reconciliation), pharmacovigilance (reporting of adverse reactions), digitalization of reporting and a risk-based approach to state control.

Importance for international partners (donors, manufacturers, distributors, networks, insurance, educational and scientific programs)

• Predictability and due diligence: standardized records appear - prescriptions, dispensing journals, inventory acts, pharmacovigilance.
• Antimicrobial stewardship (AM stewardship): short validity of a prescription for an antimicrobial drug and requirements for justification of use are the core of modern One Health standards.
• Transparency: public information about authorized specialists and the right to prescribe prescriptions on behalf of the institution.
• Comparability with EU practices: it is easier for Ukraine to enter into partnership projects that require control and documentary confirmation of processes.

Key provisions of Law No. 1206-IX that every licensee (vet clinic) should pay attention to

1) Facility license - "center of responsibility", and legal certainty is established for employees

The law directly establishes: the presence of a license to conduct veterinary practice is not mandatory for a specialist who practices as an employee of a licensed institution. The institution's obligation to be transparent is also enshrined at the law level.

Practical conclusion: during inspections, the key is not "formal words", but the organization of processes in the clinic: records, prescriptions, procedure for using/dispensing drugs, readiness for reporting, infection control, pharmacovigilance.

2) New obligation for a licensed clinic: public online information about specialists and the right to prescribe

The institution is obliged to provide open access on the Internet to information about specialists who are granted the right to treat and prescribe on behalf of the institution (with the provision of this information at the request of the competent authority or at the request of individuals).

Minimum for implementation: a separate page/section on the website or a public resource (with a list of doctors, roles, identification of those authorized to prescribe).

3) Antimicrobials (antibiotics): prescriptions become strictly controlled

The law establishes the principle of “first examination/diagnosis - then prescription” and a short period of validity of the prescription for antimicrobials. A short quote from the norm:

“A veterinary prescription for an antimicrobial… is valid for five days from the date of its issuance.”

What this means for the clinic:

• agree on a schedule of examination, appointment, prescription issuance and discharge - so as not to create situations of “the prescription has expired”;
• introduce control of metaphylaxis/prophylaxis and evidence of decisions (clinical chart + justification);
• prepare for the requirement of quarterly reporting on the volume in antimicrobials used (the procedure and form are determined by the authorized body - but data collection should begin now).

4) “Use” and “dispense/sale” of drugs in the clinic: two modes - one responsibility

In the practice of small animal veterinary clinics, the following usually coexist:

• use of drugs within the framework of the procedure/service;
• dispense/sale “with oneself” (when the owner receives the drug for further use outside the clinic).

It is “dispense/sale” that is the area of ​​highest compliance risk, as it includes rules regarding prescriptions, records, suppliers and inventory reconciliation.

5) Accounting for drug circulation + annual inventory reconciliation (audit/reconciliation) + record keeping 5 years

For operators who carry out wholesale or retail sales, the Law establishes:

• the obligation to keep detailed records of each delivery/sale (in particular, data on the batch, supplier/recipient, and for retail prescription drugs — the doctor's data and his license number or the institution's license + a copy of the prescription);
• the obligation to conduct an audit at least once a year - comparing "input/output/balance" and identifying discrepancies;
• the obligation to keep records and audit results and provide them upon request to the competent authority for 5 years.

6) Distance selling: not allowed for everyone and not for prescription drugs

The Law allows distance selling only to an operator with the right retail sales and prohibits the distance sale of prescription drugs. This is important for clinics that have online ordering/delivery.

7) Pharmacovigilance: obligation to report adverse reactions

Veterinary medicine specialists are obliged to report all detected adverse reactions to veterinary medicines to the competent authority and the holder of the registration certificate. For the clinic, this means: a simple internal route “detected → recorded → reported” is needed.

8) Transitional year is a “preparation window”, not a “window without rules”

The transitional provisions stipulate that for one year from the date of entry into force of the Law, the availability of licenses for import/wholesale/retail of veterinary medicines and compliance with the requirements of the relevant licensing conditions are not subject to state (official) control. This gives time to prepare documents and processes, but does not relieve the need to act in good faith and "learn to work in a new way".

What was before (Law No. 2498-XII) - and what became more structured in 2026

In the previous law (which lost force as of 01.03.2026), there was, in particular, a requirement for veterinary institutions and veterinary pharmacies to sell prescription drugs only with a prescription and to store copies of prescriptions for 3 years, and the prescription contained the data and license number of the licensed doctor.

Key difference in 2026: Law No. 1206-IX strengthens the European logic of traceability: detailed records, 5-year storage of accounting data for sales operators, annual inventory reconciliation, stricter discipline regarding antimicrobials.

SOP: what it is and what SOPs should be in the clinic

SOP / SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is an approved instruction "how exactly we perform the process" so that the staff acts the same way, and the clinic can confirm the risk management documented.

Recommended minimum SOPs for veterinary clinics (small animals)

1. SOP for prescribing and issuing prescriptions (including antimicrobials: examination/diagnosis → justification → prescription → time control).
2. SOP for dispensing/selling prescription drugs (what exactly is recorded, how a copy of the prescription is stored, who has the right to dispense).
3. SOP for drug circulation accounting and annual stock reconciliation (audit/reconciliation) (inventory, write-off acts, returns, overdue, discrepancies).
4. SOP for drug use in the clinic (to separate "use in the procedure" and "dispensing with oneself", and record data for reporting/control).
5. SOP for pharmacovigilance (adverse reactions: detection, registration, notification).
6. SOP for infection control (isolation, de-regimens, routing of patients, PPE, disposal).

Practical routes for licensees: two important materials on uacbbc.org

Separately for entities that work under the declaration: according to official explanations of the competent authority, the license application must be submitted within the established transitional period (with a practical deadline - until April 30 2026). Use our material on submission through Action to quickly move into the licensing field.

12-month roadmap (2026–2027) for a licensed veterinary clinic + KPIs

Goal: in the first year - full readiness for control and compatibility with European approaches: documents, processes, antimicrobial discipline, pharmacovigilance, accounting and inventory reconciliation.

Horizon 2–3 years: strategic goals for veterinary clinics and the community

• Digitization of clinical records and prescriptions (readiness for electronic formats, integrations, statistics).
• In-depth antimicrobial program: internal protocols, prescription analysis, training, collaboration with laboratories on susceptibility.
• Standardization of pharmacovigilance at the network/regional level: agreed templates, training, aggregated analytics.
• Uniform templates SOPs for members of the SVVS NGO (with adaptation to the size of the clinic) and mutual audit of practices.

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