Clinical trial results extend drug licence

The licence for Vetmedin (Boehringer Ingelheim) has been extended to cover dogs with asymptomatic myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). The new treatment is likely to lead to changes in the way dogs with heart murmurs are diagnosed and managed, say experts. From now on they suggest vets should no longer take the ‘watch and wait’ approach after detecting a heart murmur, an early sign of MMVD, instead they should carry out imaging to check for cardiomegaly. This license extension follows the results of a clinical trial – the so called EPIC trial – which studied the effect of pimobendan (the active ingredient in Vetmedin) on dogs with cardiomegaly. Up to 360 dogs with stage B2 MMVD were enrolled in the study. At this stage ,MMVD is characterised by a moderate to high intensity murmur, an enlarged left atrium and ventricle, but no clinical signs of coronary heart failure....
Source: Veterinary Record - Category: Veterinary Research Tags: News section Source Type: research