Aratana Therapeutics Inc. has asked regulators to approve feline use of Nocita, its post-surgery canine pain drug.
The label expansion, if supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, would designate Nocita as a peripheral nerve block to provide regional analgesia following an onychectomy, the Leawood, Kansas, company reported June 1.
Nocita (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) earned initial FDA approval in August 2016 as a local anesthetic that provides up to 72 hours of relief after cranial cruciate ligament surgery in dogs.
Aratana filed a supplemental New Animal Drug Application with the FDA.
“We believe veterinarians are in need of safe and effective non-opioid alternatives to provide pain relief to their feline and canine patients,” said Ernst Heinen, DVM, Ph.D., chief development officer of Aratana Therapeutics. “If the supplemental NADA is approved, Nocita will help control feline pain for up to 72 hours by blocking pain signals at their source, the nerve.”