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New heart disease drug offers hope for cats and humans
HCM is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in cats.

MYK-461 proven effective in a study of five cats

A new drug for treating heart disease offers hope for both cats and humans, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.

Writing in the journal PLOS One, the team describes how the new drug - MYK-461 - proved effective in a study of five cats.  

Each cat had a naturally inherited form of inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is currently incurable and also affects humans.

“This is an exciting discovery for both animals and humans – an excellent representation of the One Health concept in action,” said Associate Professor Joshua Stern, chief of the Cardiology Service at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.

“The positive result in these five cats shows that MYK-461 is viable for use in cats as a possible option to halt or slow the progression of HCM.”

HCM is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in cats and causes the walls of the left ventricle to thicken. This decreases the effectiveness of the heart, making it harder to pump blood around the body.  

In humans, HCM affects 1 in 500 people in the UK. But most people with the disease show few, if any, symptoms.

In the study, researchers treated five cats suffering from HCM with MYK-461 and found that it eliminated obstruction in the left ventricle. The drug is the first of its kind and is unique in the way it addresses the functional changes seen in human and feline HCM.

“There has been little to no progress in advancing the treatment of HCM in humans or animals for many years,” added Professor Stern. “This study brings new hope for cats and people.”

UC Davis now hopes to conduct a clinical trial of the drug to see if MYK-461 could become the accepted protocol for care of cats with HCM. 

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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Defra to host bluetongue webinar for vets

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will be hosting a webinar for veterinary professional on bluetongue on Thursday, 25 April 2024.

Topics covered will include the transmission cycle, pathology and pathogenesis, clinical signs (including signs seen in recent BTV-3 cases in the Netherlands), and control and prevention.

The session, which will take place from 6pm to 7.30pm, is part of Defra's 'Plan, Prevent and Protect' webinar series, which are hosted by policy officials, epidemiologists and veterinary professionals from Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The bluetongue session will also feature insights from experts from The Pirbright Institute.

Those attending will have the opportunity to ask questions. Places on the webinar can be booked online.