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Dogged approach to obesity |
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Metabolism drug Ralbolean helps dogs shed kilos as well as fur. |
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It seems it's not just the human population of the developed world that's fighting obesity, it's a condition we're inflicting on our pets as well.
Perth animal healthcare company Stirling Products is on the way to being one of the first companies in the world to develop a metabolic modifier to help dogs shed their puppy fat.
Stirling CEO and managing director Dr Calvin London said the drug, called Ralbolean, was based on a highly purified version of Salbutamol.
"Most people will know Salbutamol through its use in relation to asthma, it's the most-prescribed asthma medication in the world,'' Dr London said.
"Salbutamol has two parts to it, an R part and an S part. The R part has all of the activity, the S side of it doesn't do much and tends to compete for the receptors in the body and stop the R part exerting its effect.
"It was found that if you could purify the R section it had greater activity for less compound.
"When used in small doses in animals, this purified form of R-Salbutamol supercharges their metabolism and has the same effect that sending them to the gym would.
"In much the same way as when people go to the gym, it produces endorphins that trigger adrenalin production that in turn speeds up metabolism.
"It's like sending your dog to the gym without going anywhere."
Dr London said as well as increasing a dog's metabolism the drug also caused weight loss by decreasing the animal's appetite, causing food to be metabolised in favour of lean meat or protein instead of fat and causing fat cells to be destroyed and the energy stored in them to be used for other purposes.
Initials trial of the drug in the US, on 15 beagles, found the drug caused weight loss of 3 per cent in one week.
Dr London said the only known side effect of the R-Salbutamol compound on dogs was reddening of the mouth and the tips of the ears for several hours after it was taken, similar to if they had been exercising.
Dr London said obesity was the number one metabolic disorder in dogs and cats and it was estimated that worldwide that up to 40 per cent of dogs and 35 per cent of cats are overweight or obese.
The market in the United States alone for anti-obesity drugs for pets is estimated to be worth more than $US200 million (or $A236 million).
"Our next step is to fine-tune the formulation so that we'll end up with a commercial product to take through the registration process," Dr London said.
"I think we are probably a couple of years away from submitting the drug for final registration."
Dr London said the same technology formed the platform for drug developments by Stirling in the areas of growth agents for livestock and for the treatment of respiratory disorders in horses.
By Denice Rice
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The market in the United States alone for anti-obesity drugs for pets is estimated to be worth more than $US200 million.
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This article can be found on ScienceNetwork WA.
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