Elanco Announces FDA Approval of Bexacat™

(December 9, 2022) – Today Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bexacat™ (bexagliflozin tablets), the first orally administered prescription medication to improve glycemic control in cats with diabetes mellitus, expanding Elanco’s innovative feline portfolio while addressing an unmet need for this chronic condition in adult cats.

https://www.elanco.com/en-us/news/elanco-announces-fda-approval-of-bexacat

Bexacat is anticipated to be available to U.S. veterinarians in the first quarter of 2023.

 

Bexacat is the first sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor approved by the FDA in any animal species.

Here is some info on SGLT2 inhibitors used for humans:
Canagliflozin (Invokana)

How it works: Boosts how much glucose leaves your body in urine, and blocks your kidney from reabsorbing glucose. Your doctor may call this type of drug a “SGLT2 inhibitor.” Side effects can include:

• Vaginal yeast infections
• Urinary tract infections
• Dizziness, fainting
• Ketoacidosis or ketosis
• Increased risk of bone fracture
• Decreased bone mineral density

Dapagliflozin (Farxiga)

How it works: For use in adults with type 2 diabetes, it boosts how much glucose leaves your body in urine, and blocks your kidney from reabsorbing glucose. It also can help reduce the occurrence of heart failure. Your doctor may call this type of drug a “SGLT2 inhibitor.” Side effects include serious infections of the penis or vagina.

Empagliflozin (Jardiance)

How it works: Boosts how much glucose leaves your body in urine, and blocks your kidney from reabsorbing glucose. Your doctor may call this type of drug a “SGLT2 inhibitor.” It also has been found to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure as well as cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure in those with or without type 2 diabetes.

Info on the human drugs from:
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/oral...=gy5TrD3/dbVIhSlk7tQRvOBPk9ElyaPikpnSP5ZRPRk=

 

Also note:
Only certain cats should take the drug, determined through careful screening.

Potential patients must be screened for kidney, liver and pancreatic disease, as well as ketoacidosis, a high level of a type of acids known as ketones in the blood.


Bexacat also shouldn't be used in cats who are being treated with insulin or in those who have previously been treated with insulin.



The drug should not be started in cats who are not eating well or who are dehydrated or lethargic at diagnosis.

Cats taking this medication should be monitored regularly with exams and blood tests, as well as watched for lack of appetite, lethargy, dehydration and weight loss.

Cats who are treated with Bexacat may be at an increased risk of serious adverse reactions, including diabetic ketoacidosis, the FDA said. This can be fatal and should be treated as emergencies.

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/12/09/FDA-diabetes-pill-cats/9451670595828/

 

Thanks, Larry.

One possible consideration... In humans, the SGLT2 inhibitors are very expensive. Even with insurance, the copay can be more than what some people can afford. In the hospital, we routinely run a cost check before any of these meds are ordered. I would encourage anyone interested in using this medication once it's released, to get a price check.

 

Company is reporting $53 a month for Bexacat

 

I will have to read more about this drug, with all the potential side effects and other concerns I am wondering why it would be prescribed at all

 

WIth GoodRx the price for a 30 day supply of a SGLT2 inhibitor for a human is is ~$600.

 

It looks good but it appears to be a little bit limited as to what cats can be treated with it, since they can not be given in cats with anorexia, dehydration or letragic, which most cats are when originally diagnosed with diabetes, and you can not give it to cats that have been treated with insulin before or that have kidney problems which again a lot of older cats have or with liver problems, but still it could save some lives of cats whose owners or vets ( believe it or not ) don't want to give insulin and it does open the possibilities of more meds in the near future sometimes it only takes one to start for more to come

 

Yes, as I read more about it I realize the bottom line is this pill might help some cats that otherwise would not get help because the owner either can't or won't shoot insulin, or the vet thinks they should hold off on insulin therapy for some reason.

I know we've had members who struggled mightily with needles and injecting their cat, they had tremendous anxiety and the cat could totally sense it so the cat was tense as well.

It is curious to me that there is a statement "is not meant for cats who have the type of diabetes that requires treatment with insulin."

I did not know that there is a type of FD that does not require insulin therapy. What are they referring to?