Biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has announced that Great Britain’s first licensed treatment specifically targeting equine insulin dysregulation, a major risk factor for endocrinopathic laminitis, is now available.
Scovella is the first licensed equine-specific SGLT-2 inhibitor for treating high insulin levels in horses and ponies with insulin dysregulation that have not responded to changes in diet, management and exercise.
It is given as an oral liquid and works by lowering elevated insulin levels, which can help reduce the risk of laminitis. Boehringer Ingelheim estimates that insulin dysregulation is linked to more than 90% of laminitis cases.
In a controlled preventative trial involving 49 high-risk ponies, none of those receiving the treatment developed laminitis, compared with 38% of untreated ponies. Laminitis was identified using expert video assessments and X-rays, and the study specifically examined whether the treatment could prevent diet-induced laminitis rather than treat existing disease.
In-depth research
According to Boehringer Ingelheim, the treatment’s development follows more than 14 years of equine-specific research covering safety, dosing and long-term field trials.
“Laminitis is one of the most common and welfare-impacting conditions we face in equine practice,” said Professor Andy Durham, European Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine at Liphook Equine Hospital.
“Until recently, treatment and prevention options have been limited. The availability of a therapy specifically developed and approved for horses represents an important advance and provides vets with a powerful new option to directly target the primary cause behind the majority of laminitis cases.”
The treatment was authorised in April and will be available through veterinary practices across England, Scotland and Wales this month.
