FDA studying possible breed-specific problems with Slentrol

The Food and Drug Adminstration has some concerns about Pfizer's canine weight loss drug, Slentrol.It may be associated with a higher risk of certain side effects in some breeds. (Note: Pfizer sponsors the Pet Connection search engine.)



From Katherine Hobson in the Wall Street Journal's health blog:

Not only have we in the U.S. made ourselves fat, we’ve dragged our dogs along with us. Hence, Slentrol, Pfizer’s FDA-approved drug to help pudgy pugs lose a neck roll or three.



But the FDA says a preliminary analysis suggests a “potential correlation” between the breed of the dog and certain side effects of the drug, Dow Jones Newswires reports, citing an agency document. The FDA is planning to study genetic data on dogs that have taken Slentrol to see if certain breeds are more susceptible to problems. It didn’t specify which adverse events it’s tracking.



Pfizer disagrees with this plan, DJN reports. The company says side effects listed on the label, including vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy, are usually mild, and that specific breeds don’t seem to be disproportionately affected.



The breeds most commonly associated with adverse events with Slentrol — Labrador retriever, beagle, golden retriever, dachshund, pug and Chihuahua — are also very common, and some are predisposed to obesity, Pfizer says.

Read the complete story here, but it will probably leave you with more questions than answers. We'll be following this one.

Comments

[Paul]

Amazing, Pfizer wants us to throw commonsense out the window. Their plan: If your dog is fat, just ask your vet if Slentrol is right for your dog.



DO NOT change the food or reduce the amount of food, stop feeding table scraps and other treats. DO NOT look for alternative diets. DO NOT exercise the dog.



Their plan: Trust us and if there are side effects, we have a medication for them as well. And for the side effects on the human subjects i guess those are acceptable for the dogs.



I am sorry but this may work for Pfizer but I cannot see it working for me or my dogs.

[Deb]

I suspect you are correct, Heather, in all your suppositions. Thought so when I first read about this drug. "Hey, this isn't going to work on humans, let's kick it over to Veterinary where controls are almost nonexistent, recoup our initial investment and likely make a profit if we market it correctly." Ugh. I like your first statement. Feed Tubby less and take him/her for a walk.

[H. Houlahan]

It certainly does raise more questions than it answers. And I don't mean "WTF? Why can't you just feed your dog less and take him for a damned walk? Does everything require a drug now?"



On what breeds of dog was slentrol tested before going to market? I would have thought that beagles would have been all or at least some of the original subjects. Was it tested on dogs of different ages, sexes, health statuses? How many individuals? For how long?



And this small number of human subjects -- am I getting that slentrol was developed as a human drug, and kicked over to the veterinary division when the side-effects were unacceptable? Like all the latest greatest veterinary NSAIDs?

[Marie]

Would you belive some vets aren't telling owners their pets are fat? We had a new client recently that came in because the previous vet couldn't figure out what was wrong with their dog. (some hind end weakness) One look at the dog and you can see he was obese. When that was addressed as one of the possible contributing factors (to the underlying issue) they were shocked. The other vet never addressed the dogs weight so they thought it was ok.



I'm worried this drug will be pushed by vets who are afraid to broach the subject because they didn't have a quick fix for the problem before. No one wants to hear exercise your dog more after all. That means work!



I agree with Heather. Walk the dogs and feed them less. It's not rocket science.