Feline Arthritis Study • Scout Bio

Arthritis

Arthritis, also called Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis, is very common in cats and is one of the most significant and underdiagnosed diseases in cats. In additional to the chronic pain associated with arthritis, over time, the inflammation in the joint can damage a cat’s cartilage and supportive tissue, dramatically decreasing their quality of life. The common clinical signs of arthritis are

difficulty with stairs
stiffness upon rising
pain when petted
an inability or reluctance to jump
decreased grooming activity
limping
attitude changes such as decreased willingness to interact with people and other pets

Pets have a limited ability to clearly communicate when they are experiencing pain, and often fail to exhibit obvious signs of pain such as limping or crying out. The recognition of feline arthritis can lead to life changing medical intervention which can help manage a cat’s chronic pain, but too often, the signs of chronic pain in cats are so subtle they can be missed. When early signs of pain are missed or dismissed, the inflammation associated with arthritis continues to build. This building inflammation contributes to damage to the joint further increasing pain associated with arthritis.

To complicate matters more, in the US, there is no FDA approved medication for the long-term treatment of chronic pain in cats. There are a few approved short-term treatments, but they come with challenges such as the need for dosing by mouth, adverse side effects, or lack of evidence to prove safety and efficacy with long term use. Furthermore, the currently available treatments require daily administration and/or monthly visits to the vet to relieve a cat’s pain. Even with the available products, some cats’ pain is still not well-controlled and this results in the continuation of the clinical signs, discomfort, and chronic pain.

Scout Bio is currently enrolling cats in a FDA compliant feline pain study. The study utilizes either a one-time AAV treatment, potentially lasting months to years, or a new monthly monoclonal antibody treatment for the management of chronic pain in cats.

Participation in this study will provide an opportunity to help the individual pets involved in the study and has the potential to help many future pet owners improve their beloved cats’ quality of life when diagnosed with this painful disease.

More about feline chronic pain and arthritis, also known as osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease (DJD)

Studies show many adult cats, and 90% of cats over the age of 12, show evidence of arthritis on their x-rays. A high percentage of these cats display subtle behaviors in their daily activity that indicate they are likely in chronic pain caused by degenerative arthritis.

The subtle way cats tend to show pain can make it difficult to identify the early flair ups of the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthrosis, or DJD. Nearly 40% of all cats have clinical signs of degenerative arthritis, but owners often dismiss the symptoms, attributing them instead to the solitary, or lazy, nature of their cat or to their cat simply slowing down in their old age. The difficulty recognizing pain in cats is compounded by a common cat behavior, which is to hide their external signs of pain and, literally, to hide when they are in pain.

Early recognition and intervention are important to achieving the best control of long-term pain. However, the difficulty in identifying the signs of pain in cats can profoundly delay diagnosis and medical treatment. Veterinarians have methods to test a cat for arthritis pain, but cats are notoriously stressed and often difficult to examine in a clinic environment. Owner observation and owner involvement are vital to helping the vet assess and treat arthritis in cats. For more information on how to assess your cat for the presence of pain, click here.

How Does Scout Bio’s Treatment Work?

Scout Bio is investigating new treatments for pain and is looking for owners who are willing to participate in advancing treatments for chronic pain relief in cats. Scout Bio has two different treatments that target nerve growth factor (NGF) which has been shown to play an important part in the production of pain signals and contribution to inflammation in diseases like arthritis. Blocking or limiting the activity of NGF often decreases pain dramatically.

Scout Bio has an anti-NGF monoclonal antibody which is designed to be a stand-alone monthly treatment for chronic pain. The monoclonal antibody attaches to NGF and prevents the NGF from contributing to pain signals in the nerves. Additionally, Scout Bio has a one-time AAV gene therapy designed to instruct the cat’s body to produce the same anti-NGF antibody. The AAV therapy has the potential to alleviate pain and improve mobility in cats with degenerative arthritis for months to years.

More about Gene Therapy Here

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