Dr. Maro: Monoclonal antibodies/biologicals for pets: New medications for old problems
Warning: I apologize in advance for not featuring an article that is “fun,” or with content about playing with fluffy dogs and cats. It does contain some info that can help you make informed decisions about treatments for pets and your family.
Biological therapies or biotherapies, include immunotherapies and monoclonal antibodies. Biotherapies have been used in human and veterinary medicine for decades, but monoclonal antibodies, used in human medicine for 30 years, have been slower to hit the veterinary market.
A reason for the slower introduction is that monoclonal antibodies or mAbs are made to be very specific to one species. They are produced on specific types of mouse cells on culture plates and then go through a specific DNA-altering process to become “humanized,” “caninized" or “felinized.”
Therefore a mAb made for a human doesn’t work for a dog or cat and a canine mAb should not be used for cats. The treatment is so specific to each species that developers have a significantly higher cost to produce veterinary mAbs with fewer potential patients to benefit from. This higher cost means that very targeted therapies MUST be VERY effective, so veterinarians can confidently recommend them to pet owners.
mAbs only work through injections, because their effectiveness would be eliminated when given orally due to their breakdown in the stomach. They could never reach their “target” areas when given by mouth.
A different type of biotherapy is vaccines for cancer, known as autologous vaccines or vaccinal immunotherapy. Vaccines, made from tumor cells, are injected into a patient after a tumor has been removed. This practice can help the patient (animal or human) produce antibodies that fight the cancer. This therapy was described and used as early as the 1930s.
In veterinary medicine, the most common applications are for the treatment of malignant melanomas, but other cancers can be successfully treated with autologous tumor vaccines. Several companies are putting efforts into research and refinement of technology to improve the effectiveness of this cancer treatment.
Advances in research have also led drug manufacturers to put more effort into developing mAbs for injection in cats and dogs. Drugs for humans and animals that end in the letters -mab are monoclonal treatments for autoimmune disorders, cancer, arthritis or allergic conditions. All of the mentioned conditions involve the immune system and the drugs help regulate the body’s immune responses in one of the mentioned conditions.
Currently available effective veterinary “-mabs” treatments are available for pets suffering from an allergic condition known as canine atopic dermatitis and one each for dogs and for cats suffering from arthritis or degenerative joint disease.
The three approved veterinary monoclonal antibody injections for pets are:
Lokivetmab or brand name “Cytopoint”
Bedinvetmab or brand name “Librela”
Frunevetmab or brand name “Solensia” Dogs with allergic dermatitis can benefit from injectable Cytopoint, administered every 1-3 months. This mAb interrupts a chemical in the body called a cytokine which triggers an itch response in the patient. This single cytokine interrupter is what makes the treatment “monoclonal.” The itch response is caused by multiple (poly-) cytokines, but the one that Cytopoint interrupts is a major itch inducer. The benefit of single interruption is that we can prevent immune system impairment while controlling the itch of allergies. Most patients who respond to the injection experience no side effects. Those owners who report good responses have typically seen an immediate response and many owners will call the office as soon as they see their pets begin itching again because they want to keep their pets comfortable.
To date, I have not seen any negative reactions, but some pets simply do not respond. In those cases, other medications and allergic desensitization are recommended.
Both Librela, for dogs, and Solensia, for cats, are mAbs that target NGF or nerve growth factor in pets suffering from osteoarthrtitis. Patients with arthritis create excessive NGF and additional nerves which trigger more pain are created. Controlling NGF with a monoclonal antibody injection can help prevent increasing pain in pets. This means pets may not need daily oral medication.
Cats are particularly fussy about taking medications and many dogs develop gastrointestinal problems as a result of taking pain meds. mAbs for the treatment of osteoarthritis can increase the quality of life and length of life for pets suffering from arthritis.
We can expect to see more immunotherapies and mAbs for humans and animals in the future.
For now, if your cat has trouble getting in the litter box or has ceased to move around as much, or your dog suffers from atopic dermatitis allergy itching or from osteoarthritis, ask your vet if mAbs may be a good option for treatment.
Dr. Cynthia Maro is a veterinarian at the Ellwood Animal Hospital in Ellwood City and the Chippewa Animal Hospital in Chippewa Township. She writes a biweekly column on pet care and health issues. If you have a topic you’d like to have addressed, email ellwoodvet@msn.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Maro: Monoclonal antibodies/biologicals for pets: New medications for old problems
