Numnuts: NumOcaine only to be available through vets this year

The director of the lamb marking product (also known as NumOcaine), has lamented the slow process to getting his local anaesthetic into retail stores.

A stoush over classification will see a local anaesthetic for lamb marking accessible only through vets again this year.

The push by its manufacturer, Senesio Ltd, to allow NumOcaine or Numnuts to be sold through rural retailers, got past the first hurdle late last year when its reclassification as an S5 chemical was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

But a campaign by the Australian Veterinary Association to maintain a monopoly on its sales is trying to reverse that TGA decision.

Numnuts is currently sold as an S4 chemical, which requires it to be sourced through a veterinary practise. The reclassification by the TGA meant it could be sold as an S5 chemical (available through rural stores) but this access in turn needed to be passed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

Director and developer of Numnuts Robin Smith with the device and his father David Smith, the inventor of Barbervax.

The APVMA is at the final stages of reviewing the application — which has been in the process for nearly two years — and should announce its decision in July.

Regardless of the decision, producers will still need to source Numnuts from vets this year.

Numnuts® (Senesio Ltd)’s Robin Smith said he wanted the product sold through veterinarians, but also to be available through rural retailers and online, which he said would increase access.

“We saw with Trisolfen, when it changed from an S4 classification to an S5 classification and could be sold through rural stores, that its adoption went up three-fold,” Mr Smith said.

Mr Smith said sheep producers and his company struggled with the “lack of clarity, equity, and convenience in the distribution of pain relief for husbandry procedures”.

“For example, Trisolfen, the pain relief drug for mulesing, has over twice the concentration of lignocaine anaesthetic as NumOcaine, and it’s readily available in rural stores in five and 20 litre drums, without any form of tamper-resistant packaging,” he said.

“Sheep producers currently purchase products such as Johnes vaccine, 1080 poison and ammunition in rural stores, and arguably these all pose a significant risk to health and welfare, yet they are used responsibly.

“NumOcaine, which has been designed with specialised, low volume, tamper resistant packaging, and can only be delivered using a bespoke needle safe applicator within a specialised use pattern, is being deemed too risky. The logic just doesn’t stack up.”

Australian Veterinary Association head of veterinary and public affairs Dr Cristy Secombe said all injectable local anaesthetics were prescription only “because of the potential risk they pose to human and animal welfare”.

“Numocaine (Numnuts) was approved to be sold through rural stores only when it was fitted with a specific cartridge on the basis that the cartridge was tamper proof,” Dr Secombe said.

“The AVA is of the opinion that the cartridge is not sufficiently tamper resistant to meet the criteria to be sold through rural stores and without veterinary oversight, places both public health and animal welfare at risk.”

WoolProducers Australia chief executive Jo Hall said the organisation had made submissions to the TGA for the change of classification.

“As representatives of wool growers, we strongly believe that providing over-the-counter access for pain relief products will assist with the uptake and believe that this is a good outcome for industry and animal welfare in general,” Ms Hall said.