"Cuddly" canines have got their podgy paws all over this week's animal
health news, after Pfizer announced the approval of Slentrol, an
obesity drug for dogs.
The ambiguously worded Pfizer release ("FDA approves first medication
to combat canine obesity") led to a flurry of inaccurate news reports
that Pfizer had gained the world's first approval for this new
indication.
This provoked a rightfully angry response from Janssen, who did in
fact get the first approval for a canine obesity drug Yarvitan in the
EU last year.
And anyway, what sort of society are we that we care so little for our
pets that we mistreat them by overfeeding and under-exercising? What
sort of dog owners don't have time to take their pets for walks
regularly? And should they be condoned? It's disturbing that,
according to Pfizer, 40% of dogs are considered obese.
Who knows what will come next, a drug that will stop pets from feeling
lonely so you only have to spend time with them when it suits you?? I
wonder if that already exists (DAP??).
Disturbingly, one of the side effects of Slentrol is that it can cause
canine anorexia. "No, you don't look fat, I promise Rover ..."
And anyway, what about obese cats? There are a few well rounded cats
rolling around the streets in my neighbourhood.
Posted by Ben Deighton at 08:26 3 comments
Monday, 8 January 2007
You'll see from the picture that Animal Pharm's Max Thomas was keeping
an eye on things during the festive partying, making sure that nothing
got out of hand.
There were some pretty major developments in animal health over the
holidays, not least Bioniche receiving approval at last of its E coli
vaccine. This is a major breakthrough in the industry and could clear
the way for a whole new range of animal health products.
This has particular resonance for me as I managed to get food
poisoning while I was away in France. This was horrible, but I'm sure
you can imagine how bad it was so I'll spare you the details.
I'll prefix this next comment by saying that as the Animal Pharm
France correspondent, I am definitely a Francophile and there are lots
of things I like about France. However, why is it that I always seem
to get food poisoning in France and Belguim??
I have lived in the UK for much of my life and never had food
poisoning, but I have had it several times in France, and I know of
quite a few people with similar experiences. I also visit the US and
other European countries regularly and I have never had a problem.
What is going on with retail food hygiene regulation in France?
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