We are very limited in treatments for cancer in pets in Europe

this cancer It is becoming one of the pathologies that veterinarians have to deal with. more common in clinics. And the improvement in the quality of life of pets has extended the life expectancy of pets and resulted in more cancer cases.

Actually, from the age of 10, Half of the dogs that die do this from cancer.It is currently the leading cause of death. 25% of the dog population total, a fact that increases the interest in education in this disease among veterinarians.

However, despite the increasing incidence of cancer in clinics, veterinarians do not have many animal-specific drugs. heather of animal wet Juan Francisco Borrego Massorecognized expert in companion animal cancer and American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in the expertise oncology.

“Unfortunately we Very limited in Europe For example, in many of the treatments against cancer in pets in the United States,” says the expert, he points out that the oncology market is “much larger” in the US case, and all the investment is made by medicine. Companies developing new drugs to treat cancer in pets are emerging here. .

In this sense, Borrego states that this interest of pharmaceutical companies market American because they are in the country more advanced in both treatments such as the perception that the disease needs to be treated.

“We still have a lot to work on in Europe. In this respect, although Spain is among the 5 countries that consume the most cancer drugs in the world, especially in veterinary medicine, because the population is very conscious and veterinarians prescribe a large number of drugs even though they have very few options”, stresses Borrego.

Regarding the number of specific cancer drugs available for animals in Europe, Borrego 4 formulas designed for dogsIn the US, there are some who have not yet arrived, because they have not yet passed. formalities European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Of course, Borrego assures it’s there. companies what are they currently focused on drug development for approval”on both sides of the ocean”and he trusts it next 5-10 years start coming more medicine Specialized oncology for pets.

HOW DO VETERINARY COMPLETE THE DEFICIENCY OF ONCOLOGICAL MEDICINE FOR ANIMALS?

Given the lack of specific drugs to treat cancer in animals, veterinarians have several options for treating their patients. In this sense, as explained pachi clementeVeterinarians certified in Oncology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine people can use drugsunless it has a veterinary equivalent; or in some cases, import from other countries.

Noting that veterinarians have to apply, the specialist recalls, “In some cases, we usually use the human drugs we want in pharmacies.” step recipe to use these drugs.

Regarding cascading prescribing, Clemente warns that things are changing this year with the (EU) 2019/6 regulation for veterinary drugs coming into force on 28 January. So now veterinary drugs Have priority In prescriptions for medicines for human use, as long as they are produced in a European country, medicines formerly from other states are preferred at the same level as human medicines.

Thus, with the new legislation, a veterinarian It must prescribe a drug for veterinary use, even if it was manufactured in another country of the European Union.Rather than a drug for human use manufactured in Spain.

Regarding the difference in the development of veterinary oncological drugs in Europe and United States of AmericaClemente notes that American authorities are running permissive procedures. faster drug approvals.

“They may have what is known as ‘in the US’.conditional licenseHe points out that this type of licensing is a permissive mechanism, detailing “allowing them to use the drug for a specific indication for a variable period of time from 1 to 5 years to verify preliminary data”. shorten the times and to be able to put “medicines that can help” on the market as soon as possible.

So, instead waiting years to have a medicine “potentially very usefulSince there is no data on this subject, thanks to preliminary data, the US authorities issue a conditional license, which allows the use of the drug and the accumulation of new data.

“When the transition period of 1 to 5 years is over and the expected results are confirmed, final license. Otherwise, the drug will be withdrawn,” he says. However, these conditionally licensed drugs, Clemente emphasizes, They cannot be imported into SpainSince the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products (Aemps) does not allow it.

Importing drugs to treat cancer in pets doesn’t make treatment more expensive, but it does make it more expensive, according to Clemente. bureaucratic burden increases. And veterinarians must obtain an import permit from Aemps justifying each particular case.

SECTOR’S VIEW ON VETERINARY ONCOLOGICAL DRUG DEFICIENCY

In addition to the perspective of Spanish experts in veterinary oncology, Animal Health wanted to learn about the vision of the animal health industry on this subject and contacted one of the few laboratories in the world specializing in this type of treatment, Chemovet.

From the leading veterinary company in oncology, they explain that the veterinary laboratories that are currently developing this type of drug have: biggest competitors for human medicine oncology laboratories and, in some countries, unauthorized marketing channels reaching veterinary clinics with non-veterinary licensed products.

Likewise, the company emphasizes the importance of drugs. specially designed for veterinary patientsalways taking into account the physiological and pathological parameters and tolerance limits of chemotherapeutic drugs for companion animals.

In short, they are fans. The momentum of the veterinary oncology industry Thus, veterinarians have special tools when treating patients who come to their offices.