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Preface
The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system for veterinary medicinal products,
ATCvet, has been developed by the Nordic Council on Medicines (NLN) in collaboration with
the NLN’s ATCvet working group, consisting of experts from the Nordic countries.
The system is based on the same main principles as the ATC classification system for substances
used in human medicine. The ATCvet system has been developed in association with the WHO
Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology in Oslo. The WHO Collaborating Centre
for Drug Statistics Methodology is responsible for developing and maintaining the ATC system,
and has since January 2001, also had the responsibility for the ATCvet classification system.
The first edition of the Guidelines on ATCvet classification was published in 1992 followed by
revised editions in 1995 and in 1999. These guidelines attracted international interest and have
also been used to classify veterinary medicinal products outside, as well as inside, the Nordic
region.
The ATCvet classification system will be continuously revised in line with the ATC system and in
response to the expanding range of preparations available in the field of veterinary medicine.
Details of the classification codes assigned to all the substances classified can be found in the
ATCvet Index, which is issued annually. The Guidelines on ATCvet classification, which also are
revised annually, are needed to explain and provide comments on the classifications
recommended.
Copies of the Guidelines and the Index can be ordered from the WHO Collaborating Centre for
Drug Statistics Methodology.
The ATCvet Index, as well as further information about the ATCvet classification system, is also
available on the Internet, at the website of the WHO Collaborating Centre, http://www.whocc.no.