A Japanese startup has applied for official approval of a new drug to treat chronic kidney disease in cats. If approved, the remedy could become a breakthrough in the fight against one of the most common diseases in older animals. This was reported by AFP, according to UNN.
The application to Japan's Ministry of Agriculture was submitted by the Tokyo-based company Institute for AIM Medicine. The company's founder, researcher Toru Miyazaki, stated that clinical trials showed a significant extension of life for sick cats.
According to him, most cats face chronic kidney disease in old age, and many animals die from kidney failure or uremia.
"We started developing the drug to change this situation and reduce the financial and physical burden for both cats and their owners,"
According to the Cornell Feline Health Center in the US, the disease affects up to 40% of cats over 10 years old and up to 80% of animals older than 15 years.
In a study published in February in the Veterinary Journal, 11 cats receiving treatment and 15 animals without therapy were observed over the course of a year.
The survival rate among cats receiving the drug was 80–83%, while in the group without treatment, it was only 20%.