Zoetis has presented the results of two studies looking at the impact of Librela (bedinvetmab) and Solensia (frunevetmab) on the quality of life (QoL) of dogs and cats with osteoarthritis (OA).

For the studies, the owners of 68 dogs treated with Librela and 44 cats treated with Solensia answered 22 questions in the case of dogs and 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.

The studies concluded that both Librela and Solensia produced a significant improvement in HRQL within 14 days of initial treatment, which was the first time the QOL impact was measured.

The improvement was maintained for the duration of the study.

TmJacky Reid, BVMS PhD DVA, CEO of NewMetrica, now part of Zoetis, said: “Assessing and understanding how OA-related pain impacts emotional and physical well-being in particular circumstances, broadens the perspective in relation to pain management.

“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.”

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.”

References

  1. Reid J, Bartram D, Thompson J, Scales-Theobald E, Gildea E. Measuring improvement in quality of life of dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) treated with bedinvetmab(Librela®, Zoetis, Inc., Parsippany, NJ) using an app-based, validated, owner-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcome measure (VetMetrica). BSAVA Congress 2023.
  2. Reid J, Bartram D, Thompson J, Scales-Theobald E, Gildea E. Measuring improvement in quality of life of cats with osteoarthritis (OA) treated with frunevetmab(Solensia, Zoetis, Inc., Parsippany, NJ) using an app-based, validated, owner-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcome measure (VetMetrica).) using an app-based, validated, owner-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcome measure (VetMetrica). BSAVA Congress 2023.

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