US approves new antibody treatment for arthritic cats

Osteoarthritis is thought to affect 60% of cats aged six years and up, and 90% of cats older than 12. Photo: AFP

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday (Jan 13) approved its first treatment to control pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats, which is also the first monoclonal antibody drug approved for any animal species.

These lab-grown proteins have grabbed headlines during the pandemic for preventing high-risk people with Covid from getting severely ill.