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(49,745 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2025, 10:00 PM Feb 5

Zoetis Adds Warnings to Label for Dog-Pain Drug

Animal-drug maker Zoetis is alerting dog owners and veterinarians to potential debilitating side effects from a new arthritis injection that have caused some dogs to be euthanized.

The company said Tuesday it updated the prescribing label of the drug, Librela, to mention rare health problems that had been reported since its introduction in the U.S. in 2023. A new section of the drug’s prescribing label lists seizures, paralysis, lethargy and muscle weakness, some of which led to euthanasia, the company said.

The updated label advises veterinarians to discuss potential side effects with dog owners before injecting the drug. Zoetis also said vets should give information sheets to dog owners that discuss side effects.

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Zoetis said it remains confident in the safety and effectiveness of Librela, which was the first antibody-based treatment for osteoarthritis in dogs. The company said the potential side effects were rare, fewer than 10 per 10,000 animals treated. More than one million dogs in the U.S. have been treated.

https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/zoetis-adds-warnings-to-label-for-dog-pain-drug-7327866e?st=2MRLjW&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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Zoetis Adds Warnings to Label for Dog-Pain Drug (Original Post) question everything Feb 5 OP

The problem is that Librela is used more as a last resort drug for dogs with advanced OA in the US... hlthe2b Feb 5 #1

hlthe2b

(108,340 posts)

1. The problem is that Librela is used more as a last resort drug for dogs with advanced OA in the US...

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Wed Feb 5, 2025, 10:13 PM

Feb 5

rather than even a second-line approach in earlier osteoarthritis. In advanced OA, the damage is there and all the pain relief in the world is not going to stop its advancing. Muscle tremors, weakness, lethargy--are all typical in dogs with such advanced OA that euthanasia is the end result--just as wheel-chair and bed confinement is for humans at end stage--after all the surgeries and pain relief no longer help. That doesn't mean it can't help with the pain of osteoarthritis--just that it can't work indefinitely for the most advanced stages.

In epidemiological observational studies, this is known as uncontrolled confounding factors. Like the VAERS system--the observational reporting system for human vaccine reactions, this data is not validated in its raw form, so there can be a lot of alternative reasons for the outcome or (with vaccines), reported 'reactions' .

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