Many cat owners are rejoicing at the news that a drug used to treat an otherwise fatal disease for cats will be available in the United States starting June 1.
“Stokes Pharmacy has entered into an exclusive partnership with Bova Group to offer a US-made compounded oral treatment for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP),” according to a statement from Stokes Pharmacy, a New Jersey-based compounding pharmacy.
Bova, a veterinary pharmaceutical company based in Britain and Australia, began selling GS-441524, a drug for the treatment of FIP, in 2021, but the drug was not for sale in the United States.
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“This treatment is supported by Bova's unique drug formulation, which has been used in clinical trials around the world and is currently in use in the UK and Australia,” Stokes said.
Fox News Digital contacted Stokes Pharmacy for further comment.
A drug that has been used in other countries to successfully treat FIP — a disease that kills cats unless treated — is now available in the United States. (iStock)
In a May 10 statement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said there are “certain circumstances in which the agency does not intend to take enforcement action on compounded products for use in animals,” and that the drugs are still not technically have been approved by the FDA. approved.
FIP is a “viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called feline coronavirus,” according to the Cornell University Feline Health Center website.
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While most feline coronaviruses are relatively harmless and go away on their own, the virus sometimes mutates into what is known as FIP.
“Once a cat develops clinical FIP, the disease is usually progressive and almost always fatal,” according to Cornell's website.
Until now, American cat owners have had to turn to the “black market” to obtain a drug that has not yet been approved in this country.
While most feline coronaviruses are relatively harmless and go away on their own, the virus sometimes mutates into what is known as FIP. (iStock)
FIP Warriors, a group founded in March 2019 that helps cat owners with medications needed to treat their cats, told Fox News Digital that they are “cautiously optimistic” about the news that veterinarians can prescribe treatment for cats with FIP.
Still, the group noted, “We have very little factual information at this time and are eagerly awaiting more details from Bova and Stokes. We are in direct contact with Bova and will share any updates we receive with the entire FIP Warriors community. .”
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“Our sincere hope is that a safe, affordable and easily accessible medication option will help treat and cure as many FIP cats as possible and that this is a positive first step toward that goal,” the group added.
“We will continue our diligent work to educate both veterinarians and cat parents as the FIP landscape evolves.”
“Within 48 hours I could see my cat starting to feel better, and within a week she was back to normal.”
One of the cat owners helped by the FIP Warriors organization told Fox News Digital about what she went through to save her cat.
Jessica Guyette, a resident of Washington, DC, told Fox News Digital that she came home from a trip to find that one of her two cats had lost significant weight and was acting strangely.
Jessica Guyette of Washington DC successfully treated her cat's FIP with a drug regimen that is not yet legal in the United States. Above is her cat, pictured while she was sick, left, and after she was healed, right. (Jessica Guyette)
After several vet visits, Guyette was told her cat had FIP – and that nothing could be done legally.
A vet 'secretly' suggested she turn to online groups to obtain the drugs that could save her cat, which led her to FIP Warriors.
“There were no other options at this point,” she said. “She was still losing weight, very lethargic, and I could tell she was dying.”
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Guyette, who works as a researcher for the National Institutes of Health, said she and her cat saw results quickly.
“Within 48 hours I could see my cat starting to feel better, and within a week she was back to normal,” she said, describing the overall experience of trying to save her as “terrifying.”
She added, “I brought her in.” [to the vet] Blood tests had to be done every month and the vet was amazed to find her normal again even though she was on the brink of death.”
Hannah Shaw, known on YouTube as the “Kitten Lady,” runs a nonprofit organization to rescue kittens and teach others how to care for vulnerable kittens. (Andrew Marttila)
Activist and author Hannah Shaw, founder of the nonprofit organization Kitten Lady, also treated her own cat, Coco, for FIP using black market drugs and documented the process on her YouTube channel “Kitten Lady.”
“It is a huge triumph that FIP – which has been considered a fatal disease for so long – can now be legally treated by veterinarians,” California-based Shaw told Fox News Digital via email.
“This moment is the culmination of years of research, advocacy and activism from a movement fed up with seeing cats die from lack of access to life-saving treatments.”
Shaw's latest book, “Cats of the World,” will be published in October.
In the past, when vets were told to “stay away” from advising cat owners about treating FIP, it was “confusing and isolating for people who discovered their cats had been diagnosed with the disease,” she said.
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Even more frustrating, Shaw said, was how “wildlife advocates have been successfully treating cats for FIP for a number of years, but navigating that care is incredibly complicated for the average cat guardian.”
Coco, one of Shaw's cats, developed FIP while undergoing chemotherapy, she told Fox News Digital.
It was only thanks to “total strangers on the Internet” that Shaw was able to obtain the medication and successfully treat Coco, she said.
“It is a huge triumph that FIP – which has been considered a fatal disease for so long – can now be legally treated by veterinarians,” one activist told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“GS-441524 completely cured her of FIP, and thanks to the drug I had two more wonderful years with her,” she said.
The ability for veterinarians to discuss FIP treatment with cat owners and obtain the medications through legal means is a “huge win,” Shaw said, “and will help so many people save the lives of their cats.”
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“This moment is the culmination of years of research, advocacy and activism from a movement tired of seeing cats die from lack of access to life-saving treatments, and it is a big reason for celebration,” she added.
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