The European Association for Veterinary Pharmacology and

Toxicology held its 7th International Congress in Madrid, from 6

to 10 July 1997. The congress was chaired and very efficiently

organized by Professor Arturo Anado n and his enthusiastic

colleagues from the Department of Toxicology of the Faculty of

Veterinary Medicine of the Universidad Complutense of Madrid.

The attendance was higher than previous congresses invol-

ving over 700 delegates from 52 different countries. The

diversity in the specialities of the delegates serves to highlight

the importance of EAVPT as an association of interest to

academia, practicing veterinarians, registration authorities and

representatives from research and regulatory affairs in the

pharmaceutical industry. The high attendance and representa-

tion from all over the world reinforces this congress as one of the

most important events in this field.

The Scientific Programme consisted of five plenary lectures, 14

keynote lectures, 78 oral presentations and over 300 posters

that provided an overview of issues related to pharmacokinetics,

drug metabolism, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics,

systemic pharmacology, pharmacology and therapeutics in

minor species, toxicology and regulatory affairs. The five plenary

lectures were given by experts of international reputation. Dr

Peter Jones, from EMEA, talked about harmonization of

veterinary medicines within Europe. Dr Robert Marshboom,

from FEDESA, focused on the past and present of veterinary

medicines in Europe with special emphasis on future prospectives

for the pharmaceutical industry. Dr Scott Brown of Pharmacia

and Upjohn referred to the present trends in clinical pharmacol-

ogy, while Dr Gordon Gibson, from the University of Surrey,

focused on carcinogenicity and the importance of peroxisome

proliferation as a causative factor. Finally, Dr Margaret Miller

gave an overview of the basic concepts applied by FDA during

the assesment of ecotoxicity of veterinary medicinal products in

the USA. Invited specialists gave keynote presentations on each

of the agenda disciplines, and these were all followed by an

interactive discussion session.

The large number of posters presented in each session

provided delegates with an opportunity to meet and discuss

topics individually with the authors. Overall, the attendees had

an excellent opportunity to update themselves on the most

recent developments in this field. The social programme gave an

opportunity to share experiences in a more relaxed manner,

while enjoying a wide variety of activities in one of the cultural

and tourist capitals of Europe.

The pharmaceutical industry provided substantial support to

the congress and together with scientific publication houses and

contract research organizations, mounted over 20 commercial

exhibition stands. The EAVPT congress has firmly established

itself as an important international focal point and continues to

adapt to meet the needs of researchers, the pharmaceutical

industry and government officials alike. The next congress will

be held in Jerusalem in the year 2000.

Professor Arturo AnadoÂn,

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,

Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

#1998 Blackwell Science Ltd 333

J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 21, 333, 1998. NOTICE

The 7th International Congress of EAVPT

Paper 153 MSJohn