Veterinary clinics caught mishandling surgical propofol as drug regulator's big data sweep nets 60% violation rate

Dozens of veterinary clinics across South Korea have been found mishandling propofol and other controlled medical narcotics used in animal surgeries, with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety catching violations at six in 10 of the facilities it targeted through a big data-driven inspection campaign.

The ministry said it used big data analysis of propofol usage records at veterinary clinics to select 46 facilities nationwide for a planned inspection, and that it will pursue administrative action against 28 of them after confirming violations.

The ministry and local public health centers conducted the joint inspection together, focusing on whether clinics were prescribing and administering propofol and other controlled substances appropriately during surgeries and procedures, whether they were meeting mandatory reporting requirements under the Narcotics Management Integrated System, and whether they were properly tracking inventory.

By using big data accumulated in the narcotics management system to precisely identify high-risk facilities before inspectors arrived, the ministry maximized the effectiveness of the crackdown — catching violations at 60 percent of the clinics it chose to inspect.

The violations uncovered were serious. Clinic A reported 91 instances of propofol and other controlled substance use anywhere from a few days to a full year after the fact, starting last year. Clinic B delayed reporting on 227 usage records by up to six months. Clinic C administered propofol to animals on more than 10 occasions over the course of last year without recording a single entry in its medical logs.

The clinics had effectively been operating the reporting and record-keeping systems — put in place to prevent unauthorized use or diversion of controlled medical substances — however they saw fit. Omitting or delaying records in defiance of administrative requirements is considered a key risk factor that raises the likelihood of illegal diversion or misuse of controlled medical narcotics.

"This inspection is significant in that it helps ensure veterinary clinics are handling and managing controlled medical substances appropriately, and raises awareness of their compliance obligations," a ministry official said. "We will continue to thoroughly analyze usage records and pursue enforcement through AI-powered, year-round monitoring."