Newly approved US medication offers hope for cats diagnosed with FIP
By Megan Matthews
Click here for updates on this story
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — For years, feline infectious peritonitis, more commonly known as FIP, has been a diagnosis that left cat owners with little to no hope.
Veterinarians say it’s a common disease that has been historically incurable until a new drug was legalized, giving them a fighting chance.
That drug is GS-441524, a medication that has shown a high success rate in treating FIP but, for years, was illegal in the U.S., putting veterinarians in an impossible position.
Taylor Marshall with Metro Veterinary Specialists said the lack of legal access pushed desperate families into risky territory.
“It was to the point that we were having to actually rely on people without, you know, the medical licensure to make these recommendations to give a glimpse of hope to people,” Marshall said. “Because we as veterinarians, like it was one of those hush-hush, you don’t talk about it, things, because our licenses were on the line.”
GS-441524 is used as an 84-day treatment and can be administered either by injection or in oral form. Marshall said the regimen can be demanding, especially when injections are required daily, but for many families, it was still the only chance.
“Obviously, injecting your kitty cat at least once a day wasn’t ideal,” Marshall said. “But that versus no hope, it’s, I mean, I would take that bet any day of the week.”
Veterinarians note there are two main types of FIP — dry and wet — each with a different set of symptoms, and the disease can also mutate into ocular and neurological challenges. Dry FIP symptoms can include fever, rapid weight loss, lethargy and vision issues, while wet FIP may present with a distended belly, lethargy and severe breathing difficulties.
With treatment now legally available, many pet owners say they are seeing positive changes in a matter of days after starting medication.
For Marshall, the shift has been dramatic compared to the early days of her career.
“I’m just so thrilled how much this landscape has changed,” Marshall said. “Because when I first came out of that school, it was, this is a death sentence. And unfortunately, I had to give some pretty terrible news to people, usually brilliant humans with brilliant animals.”
After completing treatment, cats are considered in remission, then monitored for another 84 days before they are cleared from FIP.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.