Marketing authorization for fish anaesthetic Tricaine Pharmaq in seven different countries

Christian Pérez  "Appropriate anaesthesia can provide benefits for a wide range of fish handling operations, helping to safeguard fish welfare and also improving operator safety during processes such as vaccination", says Dr. Ben North, Managing Director of Pharmaq. Tricaine Pharmaq will replace the former product Pharmaq MS 222, a compound well known to the industry and which held marketing authorisations in the UK and Ireland for many years. The formulation of the product remains the same (100% active tricaine methanesulphonate) and is available by prescription. Tricaine Pharmaq is readily soluble in water, making it safe and easy to use, with no requirement for solvents. Tricaine Pharmaq can benefit all sectors of the aquatic industry, from tranquilisation of ornamental fish during transport, through to full anaesthesia for surgical procedures, as well as anaesthesia of food fish at vaccination and egg collection from brood fish. Pharmaq UK will be the distribution centre for all of the different markets. Tricaine Pharmaq will be available in four different pack sizes from 25 g to 1000 g, all with separate national labels and inserts. "This is a great opportunity for Pharmaq to introduce an established, safe and efficacious anaesthetic to support our customers in more of the markets where our fish vaccines are already being used", added Dr. North.