Boehringer Ingelheim, a global leader in animal health, has announced that the US FDA has granted full approval for VETMEDIN as a first-of-its-kind heart disease treatment for dogs.

 

VETMEDIN (pimobendan) chewable tablets and VETMEDIN solution (pimobendan oral solution) can delay the onset of congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs with Stage B2 preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD), as per the company.

 

Heart disease affects roughly 10% of dogs during their lifetime, with conditions like MMVD or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) often progressing to CHF, leaving the heart unable to pump blood effectively.

 

“Heart disease is most often present in dogs long before symptoms are visible, so the ability to treat dogs with VETMEDIN early, before the disease progresses to CHF, is incredibly significant and will help increase the survival time and quality of life in dogs,” said Daniel Watkins, Head of US Pet at Boehringer Ingelheim. 

 

“VETMEDIN has been helping dogs with heart disease for more than 25 years, and we are thrilled that this full additional approval will allow us to improve the lives of more dogs."

 

The FDA’s full approval expands on a conditional approval granted in 2022, marking the first time an animal drug initially conditionally approved has received full approval. The decision was supported by two multi-site studies. 

 

In the EPIC study, VETMEDIN delayed the onset of CHF or cardiac-related death by an average of 15.6 months in dogs with Stage B2 preclinical MMVD compared to untreated dogs. A second study showed that 79% of dogs treated with VETMEDIN for one year remained free of CHF.

 

The approval also adds a new indication to VETMEDIN’s existing label, which includes managing signs of mild, moderate, or severe CHF in dogs due to MMVD or DCM, alongside other therapies like furosemide when appropriate. Research has shown that VETMEDIN can improve both survival time and quality of life for dogs with CHF caused by MMVD or DCM.