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Feed a pill, see Spot smile
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January 5, 1999: 2:53 p.m. ET
FDA approves Novartis's anti-depressant drug for dogs, and Pfizer tablet
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Beleaguered Dow investors aren't the only ones who have dog days. So, too, do dogs.
Veterinarians have known for a while that Spot is as vulnerable to feeling sad as his owner; but they've been pharmaceutically disadvantaged to do anything about it.
Until now.
Late last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to a meat-flavored anti-depressant pill that veterinarians soon will be able to prescribe to canines with behavioral problems and other neuroses, an FDA official confirmed Tuesday.
The drug, developed by the animal-health unit of Novartis AG and known to veterinarians as Clomicalm, has been used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorders in humans under the name Anafranil, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news Tuesday.
The FDA approval comes nearly nine months after Novartis won clearance from overseas regulators to market Clomicalm in the 15-nation European Union.
Hans-Beat Gurtler, the head of Novartis's Animal Health unit, said at the time the drug reflected a growing recognition that behavioral disorders can be detrimental to a pet's overall health.
"Studies indicate that 15 percent of dogs suffer from separation anxiety," Gurtler said in April 1998, after the European approval. "But until recently no approved treatment has been available. This innovative medication offers veterinarians a fast-acting effective way of easing the symptoms of separation anxiety."
Common symptoms of separation anxiety - which occurs when someone the dog is close to leaves the dog - include excessive barking, destruction of furniture, and loss of house training, Novartis said.
Novartis said pet owners often interpret the symptoms as bad behavior or frustration at being left home alone and react by either punishing or isolating their dogs. These actions, the company said, tend to aggravate the symptoms.
Clomicalm, which is administered orally, is intended to help chemically counteract such behavior. The pill comes with special instructions on how to establish a natural relationship with your dog.
In a statement Tuesday, the FDA said Clomicalm tablets, when used with behavior therapy, had been shown in clinical trials to reduce the signs of separation anxiety and increase improvement rates when compared to behavior modification alone.
Novartis, based in Basel, Switzerland, is one of the world's largest life sciences companies, specializing in pharmaceuticals, crop protection, animal health and clinical nutrition. The company was created in 1996 through the $27 billion merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz.
The Journal said Novartis plans to mount an intensive campaign to promote the drug to veterinarians.
Novartis also reportedly plans a persuasion campaign aimed at inducing owners to take their dogs to the vet when pets exhibit tell-tale signs of depression.
In a related development, the FDA also announced approval Tuesday of Anipryl, a pill used to control canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, or CDS, which typically occurs in aging dogs. Anipryl will be sold by Pfizer Inc.
Behavioral anomalies associated with CDS typically include disorientation, decreased activity levels, abnormal sleeping cycles, loss of house training, decreased or changed response to family members or changes in greeting behavior.
Shares of Pfizer (PFE) were up 5/16 at 123-13/16 Tuesday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange, near their 52-week high of 128-15/16.
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