A new AHSA drugs and medications rule change proposal has emerged as a result of the June 1 AHSA Drugs and Medications Committee meeting. The new proposal, which would permit the therapeutic use of two NSAIDs, will be presented in final form and voted upon at the January 1999 AHSA annual meeting. (This does not affect the interim revised rules which took effect June 1, 1998 (see posting of this rule change at the end of this news section).

The new proposal would permit combinations of the five permitted d NSAIDs other than phenylbutazone and flunixin together. The maximum permitted plasma concentrations are consistent with the administration of NSAIDs in accordance with the AHSA’s dose and time recommendations, i.e., a therapeutic dose not closer than 12 hours prior to competition (exception: in the case of phenylbutazone, half the daily dose administered orally each 12 hours).

Earlier this year, the National Hunter Jumper Council submitted a proposal that would include maximum permitted plasma concentrations of NSAIDs consistent with administrations at six hours prior to competition. A rule that establishes plasma levels of NSAIDs consistent with six hour administrations would be difficult if not impossible to enforce. The resulting plasma concentrations at six hours would be so large that it would not be possible to determine that a therapeutic dose was administered within this period of time. The large numbers arise due to variations in absorption and distribution of the drugs, which are the dominant pharmaconkinetic parameters hortly after drug administration. The greatest variations in concentration are observed with oral administrations and the least with intravenous administrations..

The following proposal, drafted June 1, 1998, includes provisions for minimum fines for the first, second and third violations. It also includes a provision for adding new NSAIDs to the list of those permitted to be used