FDA Provides Info for Owners of Dogs with Cancer

VetWithDogI was interested to see the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s recent consumer alert titled “My Dog Has Cancer: What Do I Need to Know?”

For many years, there was actually only one fully FDA-approved cancer drug on the market for dogs: Palladia, used to treat dogs with mast cell tumors. But now several pharmaceutical companies are preparing to submit applications to the FDA for approval of new cancer drugs for pets. So I guess it made sense for the agency to reach out to consumers now.

Some of the topics in this alert include:

–How the FDA goes about reviewing the safety and efficacy of medicines developed to treat pets

–The difference between a “full” approval and a “conditional” approval

–Warning signs that your dog may have cancer

–Questions to ask your vet about potential treatments

Read the alert here.

Animal Health is Booming

FAHThe animal health industry is on a roll these days–a trend I’ve been covering extensively for FierceMarkets.

Check out some of the stats: The market for animal medicines and vaccines is estimated to be $22 billion a year and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% per year through 2016.

Total spending by American pet owners alone hit $55.5 billion in 2013, up from $45.5 billion just 5 years ago. Spending on veterinary care that included checkups and purchases of prescription drugs was $14.2 billion–an increase of about 4% over the previous year.

Want to learn more about this burgeoning industry? Check out these two eBooks I wrote for Fierce:

The Future of Animal Health

Animal Health Leaders Embrace Biotech R&D