A startup has filed for approval of a new drug to treat chronic kidney disease in cats, the founder said Monday, offering hope for a common affliction that currently has no definitive cure.
The Tokyo-based Institute for AIM Medicine filed the treatment with the agriculture ministry on Friday, researcher Toru Miyazaki said, after a trial showed the drug significantly extended the life of afflicted cats.
¡°Most cats suffer from chronic kidney disease, and many die from end-stage renal failure or uremia,¡± said Miyazaki, a former professor of the University of Tokyo.
¡°We undertook drug development with the aim of overcoming this situation and alleviating the financial and physical burden on both cats and their owners,¡± he said.
Miyazaki¡¯s research came under the spotlight five years ago when he had to halt the development of the drug due to a shortage of research funding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following media reports, he received a flood of donations from cat lovers and owners totaling nearly ?300 million ($2 million) between 2021 and 2022.
Chronic kidney disease is common among older cats, affecting up to 40% of felines over age 10, and 80% of those over 15 years old, according to Cornell Feline Health Center in the United States.
It is ¡°a progressive disease with no definitive cure,¡± the center said.
Miyazaki¡¯s study, published in the Veterinary Journal in February, tracked 11 cats that received the treatment and 15 nontreated cats for a year.
The cumulative survival rate for the treated cats was between 80% and 83%, while it was 20% for the non-treated cats.
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