Solensia™ (frunevetmab injection) for Cats

PetMD ^ | 6/27/23 | Molly Price DVM

[DallasBiff]

Solensia™ is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for the control of pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats. Approved by the FDA in January 2022, it is an injection given to your cat once a month by your veterinarian.

[DallasBiff]

I know there are a lot of cat lovers on FR. Seems to me big pharma wants to give the jab to kitty. It costs about $75 per jab per month. Pharma actually runs commercials for this.

Flame away.

[Leaning Right]

The key here is to find a good vet, and then trust his/her opinion on the matter.

As a side note, if a physician or a veterinarian gets any sort of kickback from a pharmaceutical company the patient should be notified in writing. If there isn’t such a law, there should be.

[Leaning Right]

Addendum to my post #2.

In the case of a vet, the owner should be notified, not the patient. I say that because my cat doesn’t care much for notifications one way or the other.

The exception is when the notification involves cat treats.

[dadfly]

looks like a scion of Pfizer. wonder when Pfizer spun it and why.

Wiki:

Zoetis Inc. (/zō-EH-tis/) is an American drug company, the world’s largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for pets and livestock. The company was a subsidiary of Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker, but with Pfizer’s spinoff of its 83% interest in the firm it is now a completely independent company. The company directly markets its products in approximately 45 countries…+

so, it’s a monoclonal antibody, so it’s probably produced by catified or genetically engineered mice:

Solensia is a monoclonal antibody (mAb)
It is a highly specific protein targeting
molecules involved in disease3
It functions like naturally occurring
antibodies—it is eliminated via
normal protein degradation
pathways, with minimal involvement
of the liver or kidneys4
Solensia binds to Nerve Growth Factor
(NGF), and its action helps to:5
Control pain
Limit the release of proinflammatory
mediators and more NGF
Lower neurogenic inflammation

looks like it targets the symptom of pain by slowing down nerve growth. i think i’m going to pass for my pets.

[moovova]

No flames from me.

I already spend $105/month for the dog’s Cytopoint shot. It’s an anti-histamine type shot, but we only do it during summer months. If my little cat buddy was still alive, darn right I’d relieve her pain for $75/month.

[FamiliarFace]

Just saw a commercial for something like this for dogs to treat osteoarthritis. The pharma ads for humans are already over the top. Now they are pitching for our pets. Good grief.

[Responsibility2nd]

If a cat or dog suffers from osteoarthritis, it’s time to do the decent thing and put them to sleep.

Spending hundreds of dollars might fool someone into thinking what a fine upstanding pet owner they are, but in reality - that’s cruel.

[Responsibility2nd]

See keywords. I was thinking ha ha. Someone made a typo.

But then... bigharma makes sense.

[bobcat62]

There is a common kitty steroid that can be used to treat the same arthritis.
My senior kitty gets the steroid every 2-4 months. Also eliminates dermatitis + chronic cough.

[moovova]

If I can relieve their pain and they can live without that pain, how does that make me a cruel pet owner?

Also...I suffer from osteoarthritis. Should I put me to sleep?

[COBOL2Java]

My dearly departed buddy, who crossed the rainbow bridge last year after 18 years, suffered from arthritis. I gave him Solensia injections and he did very well. Before that, he struggled to climb into the litter box or get on the sofa next to me. With Solensia he did much better.

[caddie]

No flames here.

I love kitties a lot.

If I was allergic to them I would get a bone marrow transplant.

[shotgun]

One of my cats was just diagnosed with diabetes. Waiting to get him tested to see if he can take some other form of medicine or have to get shot of insulin.