Treating a cat with Feline Infection Peritonitis (FIP)

[adlgel]

Has anyone attempted to treat a cat diagnosed with FIP with the experimental drug GS-441524? We lost one of our cats in March to lymphoma leaving us with our now 13 year old cat. In June we adopted two 9 week old sibling kittens who have brought so much joy into our lives. On Saturday I noticed that the female kitten (now 6 months old) had what seemed like a haze or cloud over her left eye, but it seemed like it was inside the eye, not a goopy film on the outside. I took her to the emergency vet who recommended we see an eye specialist. The eye specialist told us this morning that although it cannot be definitively diagnosed he strongly suspects it is FIP which is a fatal disease (usually within a year). He mentioned clinical trials out of UC Davis that used a compound named GS-441524 (very similar to Remdesivir the Covid-19 treatment that Gilead also owns) which showed incredibly positive results.

However, not wanting to jeopardize the approval through the FDA of remdesivir, Gilead is not seeking approval on GS-441524 and will not license this compound to any other companies. So, unsurprisingly, a black market for this drug has sprung up with multiple Chinese companies manufacturing the drug. Has anyone used this compound to treat their cat? I'd love to hear about your experience - cost, did your veterinarian support this treatment for your cat, how did you source the drug, etc. Thanks in advance?

 

[Matata]

Facebook is down at the moment so I can't provide a link but there is a group there who can help you. In my savannah group there are a few who have treated their cats successfully with GS-441524 including Luna, the first cat to survive FIP using the drug in the UCD trials. Last I heard, the cost of the injections was $10,000 and I don't recall if that was $10,000 each or for the entire treatment.

 

[LAJennifer]

It sounds like your cat has the dry form of FIP (non-effusive). I had a kitten with dry FIP in 1999, when there was no treatment. If money is not an issue, I would give this treatment a go. From what I've seen on various cat groups, it is almost always curative. Since your kitten's eyes are involved (as was mine), she will require a hire dose of the injectables. https://www.zenbycat.org/blog/general-faq-about-treating-fip-using-gs-441524

 

[Sunstorm]

GS is awesome. On FB I was in touch with the neuro/dry group, NeeCee is in charge of that. Get in touch with the FIP group and they will direct you there. The meds work but time is of the essence and great support care is needed, liver support etc from a vet that hopefully works with it.

 

[adlgel]

@LAJennifer thanks for that link.

 

[elizat]

Yes, I have. It's expensive, requires dedication, is more difficult than you think it will be (and I'm experienced with cat injections), but it worked for us and he's alive one year post treatment. He ended treatment last October.

You can contact me through LT if you like.

ETA:

This is my boy.

Sriracha

sriracha

www.zenbycat.org

 

[adlgel]

Yes, I have. It's expensive, requires dedication, is more difficult than you think it will be (and I'm experienced with cat injections), but it worked for us and he's alive one year post treatment. He ended treatment last October.

You can contact me through LT if you like.

ETA:

This is my boy.

Sriracha

sriracha

www.zenbycat.org

Omg what a sweetheart - I’m so glad the treatment worked out for him.

 

[ShinyPink]

I'm not emotionally mature enough to deal with sick fur babies, mine or yours. Squeezes to all your little loves!

 

[Missy]

@adlgel I am so sorry about the diagnosis and I am sending you and your sweet baby bucketloads of healing dust. If money is not an issue I would do the treatment. Good luck and ((((hugs)))).

 

[Matata]

However, not wanting to jeopardize the approval through the FDA of remdesivir, Gilead is not seeking approval on GS-441524 and will not license this compound to any other companies.

Is that excuse they're using now? Because when the trials showed success in treating FIP, Gilead was very clear that they would not produce the drug because there were insufficient number of FIP cases for them to reap a profit. That is what has been so frustrating to those who have donated for years and years to research and it is heartbreaking to those who have cats that are dealing with this terrible disease.

 

[adlgel]

Is that excuse they're using now? Because when the trials showed success in treating FIP, Gilead was very clear that they would not produce the drug because there were insufficient number of FIP cases for them to reap a profit. That is what has been so frustrating to those who have donated for years and years to research and it is heartbreaking to those who have cats that are dealing with this terrible disease.

I read that in this article https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/611341/

But I agree. To have a drug that has so much promise in not just treating but curing a FATAL disease and to not take it thru trials to get it approved or allow someone else to license seems like a special kind of awful.

 

[LAJennifer]

@adlgel Have you decided if this is something you can pursue?

 

[adlgel]

I did pursue it but at this time the FIP Warriors Facebook group contact assigned to me suggested no treatment at this time based upon her bloodwork results and the fact that she is exhibiting no symptoms other than the initial cloudy eye which has since cleared up. We have a re-check with the vet ophthalmologist in a few weeks who diagnosed the presumed FIP so we’ll see what he has to say then.

 

[elizat]

If they reviewed the labs and said it's not FIP, it probably isn't. The eye wouldn't have cleared either if it was FIP. General practice vets are sometimes a bit quick to say something is FIP and nothing can be done, in my experience, if something presents odd or without a super clear explanation (not a knock on vets, they are wonderful, but it's just like how your own gp relies on specialists). FIP is an easy diagnosis if something is off but the blood work and symptoms will always be pretty uniform. They have volunteer vets that review the blood work that are passionate about this. If your cat had dry ocular FIP, two weeks later with no treatment, your cat would probably be dead or almost dying. I don't say that to be harsh at all, but to note how progressive the disease is. If it was wet, your cat would be filled with fluid and similarly, dead in almost two weeks without meds. My guess is that I'd your cat is not lethargic, is acting normal otherwise, is eating, etc., that the answer lies elsewhere, which is a better option.

I have learned a lot about cat blood work myself in that journey!

 

[adlgel]

This wasn't a general practice vet though - this was a vet opthamalogist. But yes, it would be the best outcome for us if this was a run of the mill eye infection that has now cleared up. We first noticed the eye issue on 10/2 so we are approaching the 2 week mark and she has continued to be completely normal since then. Fingers crossed, that she stays that way. But this particular vet said that it could take months for the FIP (if she had it) to manifest. So that's a bit different from what you describe above.

 

[elizat]

Fingers crossed.

I will say FIP usually doesn't take months to onset and ocular issues don't go away on their own. Not a vet, though, just know a fair bit about it.

The blood work tells the story with the protein, album, globulin, the a/g ratio and the lymphocytes and neutrophil levels.

Hopefully she stays fine!

 

[Matata]

@adlgel, did your vet test for feline herpes? If not, you might want to have that done. I have a cat with it and when he's going through a flareup, it affects his eyes the most.

 

[adlgel]

Results I have don’t specifically reference feline herpevirus but she was vaccinated for it.

 

[Matata]

feline herpevirus but she was vaccinated for it.

Mine are vaccinated and they all have herpes. I found they have herpes 7 years ago when Maliik got sick -- coughing, sneezing, no appetite, runny eyes that he kept closed because they were painful. Herpes can cause ulcers in the eye. The booster shot helped his symptoms be less severe. He's the only one out of the 4 who has chronic symptoms and they didn't show up until he was 4 yrs old. The others get the sneezies and coughs once or twice a year.