The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended 20 new veterinary drugs for approval in 2014--the highest number of positive opinions it has issued in the past 5 years in animal health. It also received 29 requests for drugs to treat rare diseases, which is the most requests it has ever processed in a single year for products aimed at limited veterinary markets, according to a press release from the agency. Among the 20 products recommended for approval were several vaccines for dogs and 9 drugs for food-producing animals. Last year also ushered in the first EMA recommendation for a vaccine against classical swine fever--a product that could greatly reduce the need to slaughter animals in order to reduce the spread of the disease, according to the agency. Release