The Rise of Innovative Pet Therapeutics: Biotech's Next Big Frontier
Pets have become important companion animals for people today. According to statistics, the number of pet cats and dogs in China exceeded 120 million in 2024, an increase of 2.1% compared to 2023. Along with this is the rapid expansion of the pet pharmaceutical market. The compound annual growth rate of China's pet drug market from 2020 to 2024 reached 22.2%, and the market size surpassed 20 billion RMB in 2024, with the proportion of biological agents rapidly increasing to approximately 25%. Compared to general chemical drugs applied for anti-fungal or bacterial infections in pets, biological agents are gradually expanding their applications in chronic pain and arthritis, allergies, and autoimmune diseases due to their high targeting, long-acting properties, and low side effects.
In this blog, we will cover some common pet innovative drug-related diseases and targets.
Inflammatory and Pain Diseases
Such as osteoarthritis and feline chronic gingivostomatitis, both of which are common diseases with a high incidence in pets. Pet osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the articular cartilage, common in middle-aged and elderly dogs and cats, leading to stiffness, difficulty getting up, and a reduced willingness to jump; obesity can exacerbate these symptoms. Feline chronic gingivostomatitis is characterized by severe ulceration, redness, and swelling of the oral mucosa, which can cause bad breath, salivation, and pain when eating, often requiring tooth extraction or laser treatment.
The therapeutic targets for these two diseases include NGF, TrkA, IL-1B, and TNF-α. Among them, NGF is the first discovered neurotrophic factor, which can upregulate the expression of neuropeptides in sensory neurons. By binding to the specific receptors TrkA and p75, it activates downstream signaling pathways, promotes the survival, growth, and differentiation of neurons, and can also induce the production of pain signaling molecules. Representative drugs are the anti-NGF antibodies Bedinvetmab and Frunevetmab, which were launched in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Bedinvetmab targets osteoarthritis-related pain in dogs, while Frunevetmab targets osteoarthritis pain in cats.
Bedinvetmab and Frunevetmab[1]
IL-13 is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine that can activate and regulate immune cells, promote inflammatory responses, and attract more immune cells to the site of infection or injury. The expression level of IL-1B increases in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and osteoarthritis in pets.
TNF-α is an important inflammatory factor that activates downstream signaling pathways, such as NF-kB, by binding to TNF receptors on the cell surface, thereby inducing inflammatory responses, promoting the release of inflammatory mediators, and enhancing the inflammatory reaction. In inflammation-related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases in pets, TNF-α levels will rise.
Although there are currently relatively few TNF-α targeted drugs for pets, biologics such as TNF-α antibodies have been widely used in humans to treat diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Pet-related commercial products include a non-denatured type II collagen, UC-II®, which has been applied as a supplement in pet food for dogs and cats to reduce TNF-α release, alleviate pet pain, and improve mobility. In addition, VegeCen Biology has laid out VJT311 and VJT314, which target the NGF signaling pathways in dogs and cats respectively, for the treatment of bone and joint pain, and are expected to become the first pet pain antibody drugs developed in China. Lisheng Bio possesses several self-designed, novel peptidomimetic inhibitors targeting feline stomatitis; designed as water-soluble oral sprays, they can be administered directly through the oral mucosa to avoid gastrointestinal irritation while increasing drug activity and bioavailability.
Allergic and Autoimmune Diseases
A typical disease in this category is canine atopic dermatitis (AD), a common allergic skin disease in dogs characterized by chronic inflammation, pruritus, and recurrent skin infections. The prevalence in dogs ranges from 3% to 15%, and it reaches up to 58% among dogs suffering from skin conditions.
Research has found that IL-31 mediates the pathogenesis of canine AD and is one of the crucial pruritogenic factors. IL-31 is a cytokine primarily produced by Th2 cells and belongs to the IL-6 family. When it binds to the heterodimeric receptor composed of IL-31RA and OSMRB, it activates signaling pathways such as JAK-STAT and PI3K-AKT, stimulating sensory neurons to produce an itching sensation. Simultaneously, it activates immune cells like mast cells and eosinophils to release inflammatory mediators, exacerbating the skin inflammatory response[2]. IL-31 is also used to construct canine pruritic disease models.
Currently, there is one marketed anti-IL-31 monoclonal antibody, Lokivetmab (Cytopoint), which is also the first approved monoclonal antibody for dogs. It provides rapid itch relief, with efficacy lasting for 4 to 8 weeks. Lokivetmab was first approved by the FDA in 2015 and was launched in China in 2022.
Lokivetmab[3]
Another drug from VegeCen Biology, VJT305, targets the IL-31 signaling pathway for the treatment of refractory canine dermatitis.
Infectious Diseases
The most common are feline infectious peritonitis and infections caused by canine parvovirus.
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is an immune-mediated and highly fatal feline disease caused by feline coronavirus (FCoV) infection. FIP is triggered by specific mutations in FCoV. FCoV can be classified into the ubiquitous feline enteric coronavirus (FECV), which causes self-limiting diarrhea, and another variant that causes the fatal feline disease, the feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). In approximately 5% to 12% of cats, the virus undergoes a genetic mutation that fundamentally alters its pathogenicity, transforming it into the deadly FIPV, with a fatality rate exceeding 90%.
Currently, FIP treatment relies primarily on small molecule drugs, such as the nucleoside analog GS-441524. GS-441524 was developed by Gilead (its prodrug being Remdesivir) initially as an investigational drug for the Ebola and Marburg viruses, terminating viral replication by binding to RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. GS-441524 later demonstrated significant efficacy in treating FIP; compared to GC376 (a 3CLPro inhibitor), it has milder side effects and a simpler treatment regimen. It is now widely used as a standard drug for FIP treatment, although it is not yet officially marketed. Other disclosed drugs include the immune checkpoint inhibitor GGW102 (Phase III) from Gegewu Bio and ZC001 from ZhiChong Pharma.
Canine parvovirus (CPV) is one of the common viral diseases in dogs, carrying a high fatality rate, especially for unvaccinated puppies. Infection often causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and can even lead to death. An approved drug is Elanco's monoclonal antibody CPMA (Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody), which consists of a canine constant region and a rat variable region. By targeting the CPV2 coat protein of the canine parvovirus, it exerts a viral neutralizing effect, preventing the virus from invading host cells.
Metabolic Diseases
Metabolic Diseases are represented by pet obesity and related diabetes, as well as chronic kidney disease. According to international standards, dogs and cats exceeding their standard weight by 10% to 15% can be termed obese. Currently, the obesity rate among domestic pets in China is around 30%, and globally, approximately half of all pets have overweight or obesity problems. Excessive pet obesity can easily trigger multiple health problems, including joint diseases, diabetes, heart disease, urinary system diseases, and metabolic system diseases. For instance, up to 13% of cats suffer from urinary system diseases due to obesity problems, which is significantly higher than in dogs. However, about one-third of pet owners mistakenly judge obesity as just normal pet body shape, leading to delayed intervention.
The innovative drug treatment for pet obesity centers on GLP-1 analogs, which can be viewed as an extension of human weight-loss drugs to pets, although at this stage they may be limited by price and supply. Current research focuses mainly on long-acting sustained-release and oral formulations. Examples include OKV-119, an implantable Exenatide sustained-release formulation for cats co-developed by Vivani and Okava, as well as pet food containing GLP-1 supplements being developed by Better Choice.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is also a common pet metabolic disease, mostly caused by aging, genetics, or long-term dietary stress, with an incidence rate of over 30%. Currently, there is no radical cure, and the focus is on early screening and chronic management, which is generally more evident in cats. The world's first drug targeting pet CKD is Boehringer Ingelheim’s Semintra, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) used to treat proteinuria caused by feline CKD. Following its global launch in 2013, it has become a first-line medication for feline chronic kidney disease.
Neoplastic Diseases
Representative diseases are canine B-cell lymphoma, breast cancer, and feline oral squamous cell carcinoma, with therapeutic targets such as CD20 and CD52.
However, there are relatively few marketed drugs in the field of pet oncology. The only marketed one is the PD-1 monoclonal antibody Gilvetmab developed by Merck Animal Health, which is a caninized IgG monoclonal antibody targeting pet mast cell tumors (MCTs) and melanoma. Additionally, the CD20 monoclonal antibody Blontuvetmab (Blontress™) and the CD52 monoclonal antibody Tamtuvetmab (Tactress™) were approved in the US in 2015 and 2014, respectively, for the treatment of canine tumors. Nevertheless, due to reasons such as targeting efficacy, they have not been widely applied.
Reproductive Regulation
This mainly involves immunocastration and contraception, suppressing the production of sex hormones through vaccines or antibodies, blocking gonadal development or function, or achieving contraceptive effects for pets.
Related regulatory proteins include gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). A common strategy is to use a GnRH vaccine to induce the body to produce endogenous neutralizing antibodies against GnRH, which in turn inhibits the secretion of LH or FSH, leading to a decline in testicular or ovarian function and achieving non-surgical sterilization. According to early reports from Yuanbo Pharma, the company developed an immunocastration vaccine using GnRH as an antigen, which achieves a castration level of over 90% within two years of inoculation in cats.
Another strategy is to suppress germ cell development by injecting or expressing AMH in animals, thereby achieving long-term reversible contraception. This method has no hormonal side effects and is being tentatively expanded into non-hormonal sterilization options for pets such as dogs and cats.
Pet Diseases Related Recombinant Proteins
For a long time, the innovative pet drug market has been led or even monopolized by international companies such as Zoetis, Elanco, and Boehringer Ingelheim. In recent years, with the advancement of biotechnology and the growth of market demand, Chinese enterprises are accelerating technological innovation. They are mainly concentrating on independently developed biologics, monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapies to meet the pet health needs and reduce dependence on imported products. In the future, with the continuous development of AI design and novel drug delivery methods, innovative drugs will cover more refractory pet diseases, driving the arrival of the "precision veterinary medicine" era.
To support the developmental needs of pet drugs, KACTUS provides a variety of high-quality animal recombinant protein products. These cover therapeutic targets of common pet diseases and can be applied in different scenarios such as drug target validation and antibody drug screening.
Product Data
Immobilized Canine IL-13, His Tag at 1ug/ml (100ul/well) on the plate. Dose response curve for Biotinylated Human IL-13Ra2, His Tag with the EC50 of 22.2ng/ml determined by ELISA (QC Test).
Immobilized Canine PD-1, hFc Tag at 2ug/ml (100ul/well) on the plate. Dose response curve for Human PD-L1, mFc Tag with the EC50 of 47.0ng/ml determined by ELISA (QC Test). The affinity constant of 0.696 uM as determined in SPR assay (Biacore T200).
References
[1] https://www.zoetispetcare.com
[2] Interleukin-31: its role in canine pruritus and naturally occurring canine atopic dermatitis. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3164.2012.01098.x.
[3] https://www.zoetisus.com/products
