Local firm gets OK for pet medication

Aratana Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PETX), a Leawood, Kan.-based pet therapeutics company focused on the licensing, development and commercialization of innovative biopharmaceutical products for companion animals, this week announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has approved NOCITA^® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) as a local post-operative analgesia for cranial cruciate ligament surgery in dogs. Aratana anticipates Nocita will be commercially available to veterinarians in the fall of 2016.

The cranial cruciate ligament is the canine equivalent of the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, a knee injury that ends many human athletes’ careers. It is considered the most common orthopedic problem in dogs.

Nocita is a local anesthetic that lasts up to 72 hours post-surgery by releasing bupivacaine over time from multi-vesicular liposomes deposited in the tissue. The therapeutic is administered as a single dose by tissue infiltration during closure of cranial cruciate ligament surgery in dogs.

“We believe Nocita will help transform the way veterinarians control post-operative pain for dogs undergoing cranial cruciate ligament surgery,” said Steven St. Peter, M.D., president and CEO of Aratana Therapeutics. “As our third FDA-approved therapeutic this year, we are pivoting our attention to successfully bringing these therapeutics to market over the coming months.”