Putney Releases Injectable Carprofen for DogsFebruary 12, 2015Drug maker Putney Inc. this week began selling Carprofen Sterile Injectable Solution, a generic version of Rimadyl, the anti-inflammation medication that has earned longtime rights holder Zoetis Inc. hundreds of millions of dollars over the years. The development gives Putney all three dosage forms of generic Rimadyl: injectable, chewable tablets and caplets. The active ingredient, carprofen, is formulated to control osteoarthritis pain and inflammation in dogs and for postsurgical pain. “Putney is helping veterinarians make pet health care more affordable for their pet owner clients by bringing new FDA-approved veterinary generic medicines to the market,” CEO Jean Hoffman said. Putney launched Carprofen Chewable Tablets in December. At the time, the Portland, Maine, company estimated industry sales of chewable Rimadyl and its generic equivalents at $70 million a year. Another U.S. drug maker, Bayer Animal Health, offers generic Rimadyl in soft chewable tablets under the brand name Quellin. Zoetis’ 2014 earnings report, released Wednesday, highlighted the threat to sales of one of its flagship products. “Growth was offset by competition to our Rimadyl franchise and competitive pressure in vaccines and parasiticides,” Zoetis stated. Rimadyl was released in 1997 by Pfizer Inc., which years later spun off its Pfizer …
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Voyce Dog Monitor Available for PurchaseJanuary 28, 2015Voyce, a computerized collar that monitors a dog’s vital signs, is ready for the marketplace more than a year after winning acclaim at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. The $299 device, which requires a prepaid subscription plan, will ship in small, medium and large sizes in March, according to the manufacturer, i4C Innovations Inc. of Chantilly, Va. Orders also are being taken for extra-large collars, which should begin arriving on doorsteps in April. Voyce is being promoted to dog owners and to veterinarians, who can “partner with their clients,” i4C President Jeff Noce said. “By providing vets with objective data trends, previously difficult to obtain, there is now an opportunity for early detection and diagnosis, offering dogs, their pet parents and vets the ability to identify and implement treatment plans earlier and track treatment progress over time,” Noce said. Outfitted with WiFi technology, an accelerometer, sensors and a rechargeable battery, Voyce is designed to measure and transmit resting heart and respiratory rates, activity levels, rest patterns and calories burned. The data may be viewed on desktop and tablet computers and smartphones. Shared with veterinarians, the information helps “connect the dots between visits,” the company stated. The subscription plan …
Registration Opens in April for Free Eye ExamsJanuary 28, 2015Free eye screenings will be offered in May during the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists’ annual National Service Animal Eye Exam Event. The exams are open to certified and active working animals in the United States and Canada or those enrolled in a formal training program. Among the eligible occupations are guide, handicapped assistance, detection, military, search and rescue, and therapy. Registration for the eighth annual event, which is co-sponsored by Stokes Pharmacy of Mount Laurel, N.J., will run from April 1 to 30 at www.ACVOeyeexam.org. Owners or handlers of eligible service animals will receive a registration number allowing them to schedule a May eye appointment with a participating veterinary ophthalmologist. More than 7,000 animals were served in 2014 and more than 30,000 over the program’s seven years. While dogs are most commonly examined under the program, other animals, such as horses and a donkey, were checked in 2014. ACVO reported that the exams have rooted out eye ailments in hundreds of animals. One guide dog, Swap, was diagnosed in 2012 with pigmentary uveitis, a condition that affects the vision of golden retrievers. “Had I not gone to the event and had Swap’s eyes checked, …
Rabies Booster Works in Some Exposed PetsJanuary 26, 2015Pets whose rabies vaccination has expired will likely survive exposure to the deadly virus if they are quickly given a booster, according to Kansas State University researchers. The discovery also means that pet owners potentially could choose short-term quarantine of such animals at home rather than euthanasia. Many states now require unvaccinated pets that are exposed to rabies to be quarantined for six months at an animal control facility, a costly proposition for owners faced with paying thousands of dollars in kennel bills. “This has the potential to save a lot of pets’ lives,” said Michael Moore, DVM, MPH, the project manager at the Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. “Our hope is that now animals with an out-of-date vaccination status that are exposed to rabies will be allowed to be handled the same as dogs and cats with up-to-date vaccinations. They will be given a booster and a 45-day observation at home.” The study, published Jan. 15 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, was the first to present scientific data on animals with out-of-date rabies vaccinations, Kansas State reported. Most of the 74 dogs and 33 cats that Dr. Moore and his colleagues …
Study: Cancer Patients Benefit From Therapy DogsJanuary 14, 2015Therapy dogs lifted the spirits of adult cancer patients by improving their emotional well-being and quality of life, according to research co-sponsored by veterinary drug manufacturer Zoetis Inc. The clinical study, published this week in the Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology, involved patients receiving combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy for gastrointestinal, head or neck cancers. A questionnaire called the FACT-G (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—General) found that the patients’ emotional well-being jumped over the course of animal-assisted visits even as they underwent “marked and significant declines in both physical and functional well-being,” according to the researchers. Principal investigator Stewart B. Fleishman, M.D., of New York’s Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital called the work “the first such definitive study in cancer.” “Having an animal-assisted visit significantly improved [the patients’] quality of life and humanized a high-tech treatment,” Fleishman said. “Patients said they would have stopped their treatments before completion except for the presence of the certified Good Dog Foundation therapy dog and volunteer handler.” Besides Zoetis, the New York-based Good Dog Foundation and the Pfizer Foundation contributed to the research. “There is mounting evidence in human and veterinary medicine that the emotional bond between people and companion animals can …
Dogs Can’t Hide Feelings From ScientistsJanuary 13, 2015Research conducted by Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. has confirmed that dogs, like people, become flush with happiness and excitement. The findings, according to Purina behavior scientist Ragen T.S. McGowan, Ph.D., illustrate how the human-animal bond works both ways, lighting up the lives of both people and pets. “Scientists have known for years how to evaluate negative states such as stress and anxiety in animals,” McGowan said. “Less is known about how to measure positive states such as happiness or excitement.” McGowan and her team used thermal, or infrared, cameras to examine how external stimuli can generate joyful emotions in dogs, the company reported today. The cameras measured temperature fluctuations in dogs’ eyes, ears and paw pads as blood flowed to those areas. “Thermal imaging has been widely used in animal welfare studies to assess inflammation in racehorses, for example, or to see how certain conditions affect livestock’s stress levels,” McGowan said. “This is one of the first times it is being used to measure positive responses in pets.” Part of the study involved having people with no connection to a group of shelter dogs sit with and pet them for 15 minutes, the company stated. The dogs …
Sleepypod Offers to Replace Crash-Damaged Travel GearDecember 23, 2014Sleepypod, whose dog travel harnesses have won top marks, is offering a free replacement or discounted pricing when a pet carrier or safety harness is damaged in a traffic accident. The program extends to competitors’ equipment as well. The burden of proof falls on pet owners, who must provide a police report and photos and answer a questionnaire. Damaged Sleepypod products are eligible for no-charge replacement—other than shipping costs—while owners of other brands may receive 30 percent off the Pasadena, Calif., company’s selection of mobile pet beds, carriers and harnesses. “Sleepypod wants to ensure pet safety after an auto accident,” said co-founder and lead product designer Michael Leung. “The integrity of a pet safety restraint may be compromised during an auto accident, so it is critical to inspect a pet carrier or harness for damage before being reused.” Damage may include anything from broken stitches and zippers to torn webbing. “If the accident is severe enough, webbing could be stretched, and therefore weaken the material,” Leung said. More information about the replacement program, which was announced Dec. 18, is available at www.sleepypod.com/accident-replacement-program. The nonprofit Center for Pet Safety, which conducts crash-testing, has deemed Sleepypod’s Clickit Sport …
Jaguar Seeks Limited Approval of Canine Diarrhea DrugDecember 22, 2014The startup drug company Jaguar Animal Health today reported the filing of its first New Animal Drug Application (NADA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If approved, the drug Canalevia would be used to treat dogs stricken with watery diarrhea during chemotherapy. Jaguar described Canalevia as a first-in-class anti-secretory agent intended for use in multiple animal species. The NADA filing requests Minor Use/Minor Species (MUMS) status for dogs as the drug undergoes further study. The limited designation would allow Jaguar to distribute Canalevia “before collecting all necessary effectiveness data, but after proving the drug is safe and showing that there is a reasonable expectation of effectiveness,” the San Francisco company stated. The decision to pursue MUMS status followed a meeting Oct. 22 between Jaguar and FDA representatives, according to the company. “[The] approach … will allow us to bring this new tool for management of certain chemotherapy side effects to dogs in need as soon as possible,” Jaguar reported. Canalevia contains crofelemer, an antidiarrheal found in the Croton lechleri tree and used to treat HIV-associated diarrhea in people. Jaguar in September launched its first non-prescription product, Neonorm Calf, for the treatment of watery diarrhea, or scours, in …
Aratana Moves Ahead on 2 Canine DrugsDecember 19, 2014A drug being studied for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain in dogs showed positive results in a pivotal field study, according to the developer, Aratana Therapeutics Inc. The Kansas City, Kan., veterinary drug maker also announced the launch of a pivotal field effectiveness study for a drug formulated to treat post-surgical pain in dogs. The osteoarthritis drug, code-named AT-001, was used in a blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter dose-ranging study involving 280 client-owned dogs. The dogs, all of whom had osteoarthritis, were split into AT-001 and placebo groups and received daily oral doses for 28 days, Aratana reported Thursday. Validated owner-assessed pain scores showed that AT-001, which uses the compound grapiprant to target the EP4 receptor, demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared with the placebo, Aratana noted. The company expects to win U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of AT-001 in 2016. “We believe AT-001 has the potential to be an important product in the well-established pain market,” said President and CEO Steven St. Peter, MD. Aratana also reported the initiation of a pivotal field effectiveness study of a drug licensed from Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Parsippany, N.J. AT-003 is an injectable, extended-release bupivacaine formulated for post-operative pain in dogs. A …
AKC Foundation Honors 6 Research FundraisersDecember 15, 2014Six organizations that over the past 20 years combined to donate more than $3.3 million to the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation have been named Distinguished Research Partners. Recognized Dec. 11 during the foundation’s Canine & Cocktails event in Orlando, Fla., were the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, the Irish Setter Club of America Foundation, the Newfoundland Club of America Charitable Trust, the Collie Health Foundation, the Golden Retriever Foundation and the American Boxer Charitable Foundation. The amounts raised by the groups to assist with canine research ranged from the Irish Setter Club’s $131,100 to the American Boxer foundation’s $1,180,130. “These clubs and organizations are making a lasting impact on canine health,” said Shila Nordone, MS, Ph.D., the Canine Health Foundation’s chief scientific officer. “Their donations … are supporting research that addresses some of the most prominent health concerns for our dogs. We are tackling cancer, subaortic stenosis, hypothyroidism, degenerative myelopathy, epilepsy, bloat and cardiomyopathy. “Together, we are working to provide better treatments and more accurate diagnoses for all dogs.” The Canine Health Foundation, a grant-making institution, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2015. The foundation also honored Thomas A. Grabe, publisher of The Canine Chronicle, with …
