Boehringer Ingelheim celebrates 20 years of Metacam® for cattle

Ingelheim, Germany, 11 April 2019 – In 2019, Boehringer Ingelheim is celebrating 20 years of Metacam^® (meloxicam) for cattle, the medicine that has improved the lives of millions of animals across the globe. Originally licensed for use in dogs, Metacam^® has been found to be an effective therapy for many inflammatory and painful conditions, and suitable for other species such as guinea pigs, pigs, horse and sheep*. Today, Metacam^® is the world-leading¹ brand for the treatment of pain and inflammation in livestock.

The breakthrough drug: meloxicam

In the early 90s, Boehringer Ingelheim pioneered meloxicam for use in both humans and animals. With a greater potency on COX-2 than on COX-1, it was used in human patients with rheumatoid arthritis, acute lumbago or other inflammatory processes. The molecule - formulated as an oral syrup - was soon launched for dogs, and followed by an injectable presentation for farm animals.

In 1998, Metacam^® became the first preferential COX-2 inhibiting Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) approved for use in cattle, firstly in Europe and then worldwide. Offering strong anti-inflammatory, anti-exudative, antipyretic, anti-endotoxic and analgesic properties, Metacam^® also had an improved safety profile. And as an additional benefit, Metacam^® was found to have a long-lasting effect.

The benefits of treating mastitis

Metacam^® injectable was originally launched in Germany after being granted its first claim as an adjunctive treatment for young cattle with bovine respiratory disease. In the early 2000s, Metacam^® was licensed for use in mastitis (in combination with antibiotic therapy).

In addition to treating this extremely painful condition, scientific research showed benefits for meloxicam used as adjunctive mastitis therapy — Metacam^® was the first NSAID that demonstrated a positive impact on milk quality — it lowered the somatic cell count². Cows with mastitis were also less likely to be culled if Metacam^® was added to the standard antibiotic therapy². These cows also showed a better bacteriological cure rate³. Additionally, cows treated with Metacam^® had increased chances of getting pregnant ³.

Metacam^® was also proven to be beneficial in calf scour — calves with neonatal diarrhoea showed a significant improvement of their clinical condition⁴. In addition, the analgesic properties of Metacam^® made it the first NSAID to be approved worldwide for pain relief in calves following dehorning. Metacam^® also became the only NSAID licensed for pain relief following abdominal surgery such as caesarean section (in Canada and Australia).

Driven by passion and commitment to understanding pain and mitigating its impact in food producing animals, Boehringer Ingelheim has led numerous Research & Development studies for a better appreciation of the physiological and behavioural impact of pain in livestock. Indeed, meloxicam has become the most investigated NSAID in livestock with over 150 peer-reviewed publications.

"Over the years,” says Dr Laurent Goby, Global Brand Manager, “Boehringer Ingelheim has invested tremendous resource and time in advocating for effective pain relief and educating vets and farmers. Thanks to initiatives such as The Farm Animal Well-being Expert Forum and innovative research, Metacam^® has increased awareness on farm animal well-being, hence improving the life of animals across the globe."

*Metacam is licensed for use in sheep in Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Boehringer Ingelheim
Improving the health and quality of life of patients is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.

Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2017, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of nearly 18.1 billion euros. R&D expenditure, exceeding three billion euros, corresponded to 17.0 per cent of net sales.

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success, rather than short-term profit. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards mankind and the environment.

More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found on www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: https://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Business Unit
Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world. We are committed to creating animal wellbeing through our large portfolio of advanced, preventive healthcare products and services. With net sales of 3.9 billion euros (2017) and around 10,000 employees worldwide, we are present in more than 150 markets. For more information visit: https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health/overview.

Intended audiences:
This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany, and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where we do business.

References

¹internal data on file
²McDougall et al. Effect of treatment with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory meloxicam on milk production, somatic cell count, probability of re-treatment, and culling of dairy cows with mild clinical mastitis. J Dairy Sci 2009;92 :4421–4431.
³McDougall et al. Addition of meloxicam to the treatment of clinical mastitis improves subsequent reproductive performance. J Dairy Sci 2016; 99(3): 2026-2042.
⁴Todd et al. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy for neonatal calf diarrhoea complex: Effects on calf performance. J Anim Sci 2010.88:2019-2028.