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August 15, 2020

In Short

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University of Missouri veterinary college gifted $1M

Dr. Reuben Merideth
Dr. Reuben Merideth, a graduate of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, gifted $1 million to the college. (Courtesy of Mizzou)

The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine received a $1 million gift from alumnus Dr. Reuben Merideth (Missouri ’78).

The Dean’s Fund for Excellence gift will allow the college to direct financial resources to any area.

“Dr. Merideth’s gift of unrestricted support will help Mizzou achieve excellence by allowing the College of Veterinary Medicine to respond immediately to its most critical needs,” said Mun Y. Choi, UM System president and interim Mizzou chancellor, in a press release.

Dr. Merideth was a National Institutes of Health fellow in comparative ophthalmology at the University of Florida before founding Eye Care for Animals in 1981 in Tucson, Arizona. The specialty practice now has locations in 16 states.

“I could not list all the people at Mizzou who showed great acts of kindness in my education, as my classmates, professors, and the staff were all an integral part of my training to become a veterinarian,” Dr. Merideth said in the press release. “Nothing makes me prouder than to say I am a graduate of the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, which is training the next generation of veterinarians to provide services to livestock and pet owners throughout the state. This gift illustrates my confidence in the college as it has adapted to keep students, faculty, staff, and clients safe while advancing its mission during the pandemic.”

Antiviral drug shows promise as FIP therapy

A study by the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine suggests feline infectious peritonitis affecting the central nervous system may be treatable using appropriate antiviral medications.

Researchers used the antiviral nucleoside analogue GS-441524 for at least 12 weeks to treat four cats that had naturally occurring FIP with CNS involvement, according to a report published online May 22 in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

All cats had a positive response to treatment. Three cats were alive after treatment—528, 516, and 354 days after treatment initiation—with normal physical and neurologic examinations. One cat was euthanized 216 days into the study following relapses after primary and secondary treatment.

In one cat, resolution of disease was defined on the basis of the normalization of MRI findings and cerebrospinal fluid analysis and the resolution of cranial and caudal segment disease as measured by ocular imaging.

Researchers conclude that treatment with GS-441524 shows clinical efficacy and may result in clearance and long-term resolution of neurological FIP.

FDA gives more time for comments on animal drug compounding

Federal authorities are accepting comments through Oct. 15 on guidance that describes the limits of animal drug compounding.

The Food and Drug Administration guidance addresses compounding from bulk drug substances, the agency’s term for active pharmaceutical ingredients. The agency published the draft document in November 2019 and has granted two 120-day extensions of the comment deadline.

The AVMA had asked that the FDA give veterinarians more time to review the proposal.

Under federal law, a veterinarian or pharmacist can compound drugs from approved products. Compounding from bulk substances is seen as making a new and unapproved product that needs FDA review.

The guidance describes which compounded drugs would be considered illegal but allowed because of the benefits to patients. Examples include drugs compounded for patients with allergies, antidotes, and emergency-use office stock.

The agency is accepting comments at regulations.gov under docket number FDA-2018-D-453.

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