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A potentially life-saving drug for cats will be made available in the U.S. from June 1. The medicine, employed in the treatment of the fatal feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), has been launched as a U.S.-made compounded oral treatment by Stokes Pharmacy in partnership with the Bova Group. The Bova Group is a U.K.- and Australia-based veterinary pharmaceutical company that first introduced the drug compound, GS-441524, in 2021. Stokes Pharmacy highlighted that the treatment draws upon Bova’s unique drug formula, which has been clinically tested worldwide and is currently in use in the U.K. and Australia.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not plan to take enforcement action for the use of such compounded products in animals, the drugs are still technically unapproved by the FDA. Before this development, American cat owners frequently resorted to unofficial channels to secure the drug. FIP is a viral disease often resulting from certain strains of the feline coronavirus. Most feline coronaviruses resolve naturally, but can mutate into a more serious illness, FIP, which is progressive and nearly always fatal once symptoms have appeared.
The FIP Warriors organization, which connects cat owners with necessary medication to treat their cats, conveys a cautious optimism towards this development. While expressing the hope for a safe, affordable, and readily obtainable medication, the group looks forward to further details from Bova and Stokes. Meanwhile, one of the cat owners who secured drugs through the FIP Warriors to save her cat’s life recalls her experience, describing tremendous success with the treatment. “Within 48 hours, I could see that my cat was starting to feel better, and within a week she was back to normal,” she said. Activist and author Hannah Shaw, founder of the nonprofit Kitten Lady, also benefited from black market drugs to treat her cat. She noted that this milestone will hopefully simplify the care for FIP-treated cats and help save numerous feline lives.
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