AVDA 2013 ANNUAL MEETING — Registration is OPEN!
Each year animal health distributors and manufacturers and guests gather for AVDA's Annual Conference, a three-day program of information and educational sessions featuring industry and outside speakers on a variety of timely business and industry issues and topics. The conference schedule allows ample opportunities for networking with industry peers. The conference will take place on April 28-30, 2013 at the Hyatt Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Click here to view the Promotional Brochure
Click here for the Registration form
Click here for Sponsorship Opportunities
Click here for the Sponsorship Form

AVDA Announces Inaugural Reception at NAVC The Gathering...Animal Health Happens Here!
The American Veterinary Distributors Association (AVDA) board of directors is pleased to announce that AVDA will be hosting a reception during the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) on Sunday, January 20, 2013 from 5:00PM - 6:30 PM at the Castillo Fort in the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, FL.

The Reception will be called "The Gathering ... Animal Health Happens Here" and will bring together the key leaders from distribution and manufacturing in the animal health industry. The Gathering is sponsored by Animalytix and ATS Animal Health Training Solutions and all AVDA members are welcome to attend. Invitations have been sent to AVDA members. For more information go to, www.avda.net/events.cfm.

Click here for the press release.

Click here to view the invitation.

AVDA Co-Sponsors University of Industrial Distribution (UID) 2013
Once again AVDA is proud to co-sponsor the University of Industrial Distribution (UID) in 2013. Since 1994 the UID has offered the very best value for professional continuing education for the wholesale/distribution industry. This year's program will be held March 10-13 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis Hotel.

The four-day program offers over 30 full-day and half-day courses, delivered by the nation's leading faculty, distribution consultants and industry experts.

Known worldwide for excellence in education, UID is developed, managed and delivered by 33 leading distribution associations throughout North America, in partnership with Purdue University. Working together, these groups take great pride in providing a superior learning experience, tailored to the latest industry trends, at the lowest possible cost. Classes are focused on the unique needs of the industrial wholesale distribution industry, as well as programs focused on manufacturing leadership.

AVDA members will receive a special discounted rate that is a $1,000 savings. Early registration deadline is January 11, 2013.

Registration is now open for the 2013 University of Industrial Distribution. Attendance is limited - many UID sessions and classes become sold out.

Click here to register.

Click here for more information or www.univid.org.

AVDA Dues and E-Reg Monitor Subscription Reminder
AVDA members were mailed dues invoices for the 2012-13 fiscal year in May. AVDA's fiscal year began on June 1, 2012 and dues were payable on that date. A reminder notice was sent to all members in early July for dues and the E-Reg Monitor (formerly State Monitor) Service via email.

The E-Reg Monitor Service has been providing members with access to regulatory and legislative updates from all 50 states regarding drug distribution and drug pedigree since AVDA became a subscriber in 2007. The fee for E-Reg Monitor service is $1,000 annually. If members subscribed to this service separately, the annual fee for participation would be at least $25,000 per company. For more information about E-Reg Monitor, click here. If you would like more than one person from your company to have access to E-Reg Monitor, the fee for an additional user is $500 per user.

If you are not sure if you have paid your dues or your E-Reg subscription fee, contact AVDA Association Coordinator, Casey Joseph, by phone at 443-640-1040 x116 or by email at casey@kingmgmt.org.

Click here for EReg Monitor One sheet

eRegMonitor™ — Custom Research Survey for State Controlled Substance Regulation Monitoring
Cegedim Dendrite has provided AVDA members with a proposal for eRegMonitor™ services for a custom research survey for State Controlled Substance monitoring that will assist AVDA members in meeting state and regulatory requirements regarding controlled substance monitoring. Two surveys, License Verification Survey and State Controlled Substance Reporting Survey, are available to AVDA Members at a discounted rate and they are waiving the initial development fee. If you would like more information about subscribing to these surveys, please contact Gary Glotz, Business Development Director at Cegedim at (804) 230-5003 or at gary.glotz@cegedim.com.

AVDA Files Comments with Federal Trade Commission RE: HR 1406
AVDA supports veterinarians honoring client requests for written prescriptions, but is opposed to mandatory prescription writing, as indicated in AVDAs comments submitted to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on September 13. The FTC is the federal regulatory agency that would have jurisdiction over implementing HR 1406, should it become federal law. HR 1406 would mandate that a prescription be written every time a veterinarian determines that a household pet needs a prescription drug.

AVDAs comments focus on four important issues:

  • The current highly competitive market existing today in which consumers have prescriptions filled through several sources other than the veterinarian.
  • Concerns for pet safety and potential additional costs to the consumer where prescriptions are filled by someone who is not knowledgeable in animal pharmacology.
  • An erroneous comparison of animal pharmacology to the contact lens industry.
  • Potential risks associated with filling prescription for humans and animals in the same pharmacy.

To read the full text of the comments, click here.

For an Executive Summary of the comments, click here.

AVDA signs onto joint letter of support in response to Department of Transportation's proposed Hazardous Materials Regulations that would curtail the use of reusable, engineered plastic totes used for the shipment of Other Regulated Materials-Domestic (ORM-D). To read the full text of the joint letter signed by AVDA, Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), and National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) click here.

Federal Labor Law Protects Employee Use of Social Media to Discuss Work Conditions
The National Labor Relations Act applies to most private-sector employers-whether or not the employees are represented by a union. The Act protects the rights of employees to communicate with each other about wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment. Click here for more.

Court Voids NLRB "Ambush Election" Rule Based on Agency's Procedural Misstep
On May 14, 2012, the federal district court for the District of Columbia struck down the NLRB "ambush election" rule because a quorum did not exist when the Board's members voted via email on the final rule. (Chamber of Commerce of the United States and Coalition for a Democratic Workplace v. National Labor Relations Board, No. 11-2262). NAW helps manage the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. Click here for more.

EEOC Issues Revised Enforcement Guidance on Use of Criminal Records in Employment Decisions
By a 4-1 vote, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved the issuance of a revised enforcement guidance document concerning an employer's use of criminal arrest and conviction records in making hiring and other employment decisions, and whether such use may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. While an EEOC guidance document does not have the force and effect of law and is not binding on the courts, it does indicate the agency's intentions as to enforcement of Title VII. Click here for more.