A treatment for obesity-related metabolic dysfunction in dogs is the latest proposed product from a fledgling San Francisco drug developer. Jaguar Animal Health Inc., which focuses on gastrointestinal concerns in pets and production animals, reported Wednesday that the company has submitted its eighth Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. The newest candidate would address obesity-related metabolic dysfunction, which in dogs can mean altered lipid profiles, insulin resistance and mild hypertension. “Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome occurs not just in humans, but also in dogs,” said Serge Martinod, DVM, Ph.D., the company’s chief veterinary officer. “However, while physicians worldwide have a vast array of drugs that have been approved to treat this condition in humans, veterinarians have no approved products available to treat these issues in dogs.” Jaguar stated that the active ingredient in the metabolic drug “is isolated and purified from a plant indigenous to the southwestern United States.” “In traditional medicine, the plant was brewed as a tea and used for the treatment of diabetes and other various illnesses,” the company added. Three other candidates in the Jaguar pipeline are Canalevia, for watery diarrhea in dogs; Neonorm Calf, for watery diarrhea, or scours, in preweaned dairy calves; and a prescription drug for acute equine colitis. Neonorm Calf may be available by year’s end, Jaguar stated, and Neonorm formulations for six other animal species are planned. Both Canalevia and Neonorm Calf are derived from the South American Croton lechleri plant. Jaguar, a subsidiary of Napo Pharmaceuticals Inc., was founded in 2013 and is planning a $70 million initial public offering.
