Stokes Pharmacy, a leading veterinary compounding pharmacy, announces an exclusive partnership with the Bova Group to offer a U.S.-made oral treatment for FIP, or Feline Infectious Peritonitis. Compounded GS-441524 will be available June 1 by veterinary prescription for individual patients and for veterinary office use in permitted states. For more information, go to stokespharmacy.com/fip.
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Stokes Pharmacy, a leading veterinary compounding pharmacy, announces an exclusive partnership with the Bova Group to offer a U.S.-made oral treatment for FIP, or Feline Infectious Peritonitis. Veterinarians will now be able to manage this once-fatal virus with Stokes Pharmacy's compounded preparation, which is supported by Bova's unique drug formula that has been utilized in clinical research studies across the globe and is currently in use by Bova Aus and Bova UK, with exports to other countries with import permissions in place.
Previous attempts to treat FIP involved medications like prednisolone, interferon, and polyprenyl immunostimulant. These treatments were largely unsuccessful, often resulting in euthanasia. GS-441524 tablets are now available in a quad-scored, 50 mg tuna-flavored tablet with dosages that address FIP diagnoses, including:
- With effusions but without any ocular or neurological involvement (wet FIP)
- No effusion and without ocular or neurological signs (dry FIP)
- With ocular signs (no neurological involvement)
- With neurological signs
Stokes' president, Michael Tursi, states, "Made possible by our Bova partnership, Stokes Pharmacy will compound and sell the only oral formula identical to the Bova formula used in clinical studies across the globe. Our tablets were tested by Bova to meet their exact specifications. We are thrilled to bring this long-awaited treatment to the United States and put FIP treatment back in the hands of the veterinarians."
With no legal access to oral FIP treatment available in the U.S., veterinarians and pet owners have previously relied on options sourced outside a pharmacy or FDA-registered manufacturer. Bova, recognizing this gap in veterinary medicine, vetted industry leaders to find the right partner to bring their formula to the U.S. market. Stokes' and Bova's shared commitment to raising the standard of care in animal health through high-quality medications is the foundation of this exclusive partnership.
Bova's Managing Director, Nick Bova, states, "The introduction of FIP products to Australia and subsequently to the UK has led us on a transformative path. Collaborating with Feline Specialists around the world has propelled the progression of knowledge and comprehension of FIP. At Bova, we have been fortunate enough to support multiple clinical trials around the world on our unique formulation. This has helped give veterinarians confidence in using our formula and bringing the treatment of this fatal disease back under their control. There are so many black-market options available out there and their quality is so varied. We wanted a partner who took quality and science as seriously as we do at Bova. Stokes Pharmacy is an impressive organization that prioritizes quality and science. Now, together, we can finally help save cats' lives across the USA who are impacted by this terrible disease."
FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has notified veterinarians that compounded GS-441524 falls under Guidance for Industry #256 and is allowed to be compounded and legally prescribed. Stokes has nominated GS to be included on the animal drug bulk substances list regarding GFI #256 office use and it is now on the GFI under review list. This means that GS-441524 50 mg tablets can be sold to hospitals for office use in all states except Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. Veterinarians who work in a state that does not allow compounded medications for office use can prescribe the drug in a patient's name.
Compounded GS-441524 will be available June 1 by veterinary prescription for individual patients and for veterinary office use in permitted states. For more information, go to stokespharmacy.com/fip.
About Stokes Healthcare:
Stokes Pharmacy, a division of Stokes Healthcare, has been formulating custom prescription medications for both humans and animals since 1975. It has grown from a small hometown operation to a nationally respected compounding pharmacy. In 2018, Stokes Healthcare developed Epicur Pharma, an FDA-Registered 503B outsourcing facility, to serve the evolving needs of veterinary practices as regulations and laws changed, including GFI 256 and USP guidelines. Epicur manufactures standardized and tested bulk medications for hospital use following current Good Manufacturing Processes (cGMP). Each brand demonstrates Stokes' longstanding commitment to quality and improving patient outcomes with medication you trust. Learn more at www.stokespharmacy.com
About Bova:
The Bova Group comprises Bova Aus and Bova UK. Established in 1968 as a human pharmacy, Bova transitioned to veterinary compounding in 2010 under Nick Bova's leadership. By 2016, it had become the largest veterinary compounder in Australia, catering to numerous veterinarians nationwide. Bova Aus has implemented a robust quality assurance system for popular, high-risk, and complex compounded products in collaboration with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to ensure compliance with prevailing regulations, adhering to USP or BP pharmacopoeia standards for quality control.
In 2017, Nick expanded operations to the UK with Bova UK, a Specials Manufacturer focused on delivering high-quality Specials Medications to the UK veterinary sector. Authorized by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the facilities obtained a Manufacturer 'Specials' Authorisation (ManSA) in 2017 for both sterile and non-sterile medicines. The company upholds stringent quality standards compliant with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) as outlined by the European Medicine Standards. For further information, please visit www.bova.vet.
Media Contact
Michael Tursi, Stokes Healthcare, 1 856-208-7811, [email protected], https://www.stokespharmacy.com/
SOURCE Stokes Healthcare
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