Veterinary surgeon suspended after importing and distributing medicine without appropriate licence

The hearing for Dr Nebojsa Petrovic took place in-person at the RCVS Hardwick Street offices in London, from Monday 23 March to Wednesday 25 March 2026.

In summary, the charge against him was that:

1. Between 1 June 2022 and 21 October 2022, Dr Petrovic:

i) imported or arranged for the importation of approximately 1950 to 2010 tablets of a medicine which purported to be norethisterone, when there had been no Special Importation Certificate (SIC) issued by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) for that importation;

ii) supplied or arranged for the supply of some or all of the medicine to a number of greyhound trainers associated with a stadium regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), with a view to the medicine being administered to greyhounds;

iii) supplied or arranged for the supply of the medicine to the above mentioned greyhound trainers in circumstances where:

• Dr Petrovic knew there had been no SIC for the importation of the medicine;
• the medicine, or some of the medicine, contained substances other than norethisterone;
• Dr Petrovic had made no assessment of whether any or all of the other substances were appropriate for administration to the greyhounds;
• the GBGB did not permit greyhounds to race with the other substances found in the medicine in their system.

At the start of the hearing Dr Petrovic admitted all the charges against him. The Committee therefore found the facts proved on the basis of Dr Petrovic’s admissions and the evidence submitted in the inquiry bundle.

In determining whether Dr Petrovic’s actions amounted to serious professional misconduct, the Committee took into account aggravating and mitigating factors, as well as the evidence before it.

Aggravating factors included:

• Risk of injury to an animal or human
• Recklessness
• Break of client trust

In mitigation, the Committee accepted that Dr Petrovic imported the norethisterone from India with good intentions, in that he believed he was assisting the greyhounds to keep them racing. It also noted that while this was not an isolated incident, Dr Petrovic only ordered the norethisterone twice and supplied it over a five-month period in 2022.

The Committee decided that Dr Petrovic’s conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct, and that he had breached sections 1.5, 6.4 and 6.5 of the Code of Practice for Veterinary Surgeons in 2022.

In deciding on a sanction, the Committee took into account submissions from both the College and Dr Petrovic, noting that he had a previous disciplinary finding against him. This related to findings of dishonesty regarding his communications with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) in the taking of blood samples for horses due to be exported to Serbia. The previous hearing resulted in a six-month suspension from the Register.

The Committee also considered if there were any further aggravating factors, noting that at the time of the charge, Dr Petrovic was still being investigated for his previous disciplinary findings, and that both incidents related to Dr Petrovic’s compliance with regulatory legislation. 

When taking into account mitigating factors, the Committee noted that Dr Petrovic had admitted the charges against him and had practised without incident since importing and suppling the norethisterone.

It also noted that Dr Petrovic still showed some issues with non-compliance as, despite his practice being rated 4 out of 5 in a 2025 Veterinary Practice Premises Inspection Report in relation to the VMD’s most recent inspection of his practice, the report raised four matters relating to the issuing and labelling of medication.

Neil Slater, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee decided that a sanction of suspension for a period of six-months would indicate that it considered that Dr Petrovic needed further time to develop his insight and understanding of the importance of regulatory compliance and would allow him time to reflect upon his practice and the importance of medication compliance. It would also take into account the aggravating factors it had identified. Furthermore, a six-month period of suspension would indicate to the public and to the wider profession that compliance with regulatory legislation was important and necessary…

“The Committee considered carefully whether a sanction of removal was warranted because of the aggravating factors and because Dr Petrovic had a recent previous similar disciplinary finding against him, but it decided that Dr Petrovic has a long career and that a sanction of removal could end his career.

“Similarly, it concluded that a lengthier suspension could be ‘career ending’. The Committee therefore did not consider that Dr Petrovic’s behaviour was such as to be incompatible with remaining on the Register or that removal was an appropriate sanction.

“The Committee was significantly concerned that these findings and the earlier disciplinary finding showed a persistent disregard for regulatory legislation. It considered the sanction imposed reflected the need to protect animal welfare and confidence in the wider veterinary profession.

“The Committee therefore directed the Registrar to suspend Dr Petrovic from practice following the expiry of the appeal period, for a period of six months.”