Glossary
Cascadeprescription hors AMM
The cascade is the derogation that lets a vet, exceptionally and on their own responsibility, prescribe a medicine outside its marketing authorisation when no authorised product exists for the species and condition (articles 112 to 114 of Regulation (EU) 2019/6).
The prescription must then state that it is off-label. Antimicrobials reserved for human use have been banned under the cascade since 9 February 2023.
Since 8 August 2026, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1973 makes cascade use of certain antimicrobials conditional on prior identification and susceptibility testing, with derogations; equines are outside its scope.
Sources
See also
- AMM The AMM is the marketing authorisation a veterinary medicine needs before it can be sold, granted in France by the ANMV or at EU level by the European Commission.
- RCP The RCP, or SPC (summary of product characteristics), is the official document attached to a veterinary marketing authorisation that sets out the medicine’s composition, target species, indications, dosage, contraindications and withdrawal periods (article 35 of Regulation (EU) 2019/6).
- Critically important antibiotics Critically important antibiotics are substances, mainly third and fourth-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones, whose veterinary use France restricts because they are essential in human medicine (article L5144-1-1 of the French Public Health Code).