Pictured L-R: Jackie Reid, BVMS PhD DVA, CEO of NewMetrica and Edwina Gildea, DVM and CA Veterinary Lead at Zoetis
New Data Shows Quality Of Life Significantly Improved For Dogs And Cats With Osteoarthritis Treated With LIBRELA® And SOLENSIA® In Europe
A study presented by Zoetis at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) congress looking at the impact of LIBRELA® (bedinvetmab) and SOLENSIA® (frunevetmab) on the quality of life (QoL) of dogs and cats with osteoarthritis (OA) has revealed a significant improvement. Globally, OA pain impacts nearly 40% of cats and dogs suffering from the condition,1,2 which is associated with a negative impact on the QoL of these animals. The data from this study was obtained using a contemporary approach, where pet owners of animals prescribed the medications answered 22 questions in the case of dogs & 20 questions in the case of cats on VetMetrica™, a digital HRQL instrument. With a scale of 0-6, cats were rated on vitality, comfort and emotional wellbeing, and dogs on energetic/enthusiastic, happy/content, active/comfortable and calm/relaxed, over a period of 70 days.
“Assessing and understanding how OA-related pain impacts emotional and physical well-being in particular circumstances, broadens the perspective in relation to pain management,” said Jacky Reid, BVMS PhD DVA, CEO of NewMetrica, now part of Zoetis. “HRQL measurements are not generally implemented in veterinary science at this time, so it’s exciting to see how it’s proving effective at adding value to existing functional measures. Particularly, helping us understand how pain management impacts the physical and emotional wellbeing of animals and will ultimately boost pet owner confidence.”
Solensia (frunevetmab) and Librela (bedinvetmab) are both anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) monoclonal antibodies licensed in Europe for the alleviation of pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats (2021) and dogs (2020). They offer veterinarians a once-monthly breakthrough solution for the management of pain associated with osteoarthritis which have now also been shown in these studies to improve the quality of life for pets. Since commercialization, over 4.6 million doses of Librela and over 1.5 million doses of Solensia have been delivered in Europe to help alleviate OA pain, with high satisfaction scores seen in surveys with both vets and pet owners.
Oya Canbas, Zoetis UK General Manager, explained: “With an ever-growing bond between humans and animals, and pets leading longer lives, pet owners are more motivated than ever to support their pet’s wellbeing. However, not all are aware of the negative impacts of chronic disease, with signs of OA pain often mistaken as ‘normal’ signs of aging. This is why we need to increase awareness, to tackle under-diagnosis of OA pain. Common medications used to treat cases of OA pain that are diagnosed are often Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). While effective, these can have limitations, such as for middle aged to senior pets which have other diseases, requiring multiple medications. Some will not tolerate NSAIDs, and not all pets respond to NSAID therapy. So, expanding prescription choices is a privilege.”
Untreated OA pain can limit pets’ quality of life
Over a period of three months, a clinical study saw 76% of cat owners report a sustained improvement in signs of pain when their cats were treated with Solensia3. By alleviating pain, Solensia helps generally improve physical activity level, sociability and quality of life for cats with OA. The product’s benefits are effective pain relief, combined with a positive safety profile in a monthly injectable treatment.
Librela4 administered as monthly injections during the pivotal field study (three-month placebo-controlled, followed by six months continuation therapy) demonstrated a reduction in OA pain as compared to placebo-controlled dogs. Pet owners observed reduction in pain, as monitored by increased physical activity level, sociability, and quality of life.
For more information about Librela and Solensia and full prescribing information, refer to Solensia EU SPC and Librela EU SPC.
- Foster Rosenblatt Veterinarian MR 2020
- Enomoto M, Mantyh PW, Murrell J, et al. Anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibodies for the control of pain in dogs and cats. Vet Rec. 2019;184(1):23.
- Solensia EU SPC
- Librela EU SPC
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