New information on drug treatment in equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)

Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have investigated the efficacy of a drug that could be important in the future treatment of EMS.

At present, EMS is mainly treated by feeding measures and exercise. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are often given in cases of laminitis, and horses are recommended to rest in stalls to avoid aggravating hoof injuries. In recent years, drugs developed for human diabetes (so-called SGLT2 inhibitors) have started to be used for difficult-to-treat cases of EMS. These drugs cause glucose to be excreted in the urine, thus lowering blood glucose levels.

Much is still unknown about these drugs in the treatment of horses and the study examined how a drug in the SGLT2 group, canagliflozin, was metabolized in the body of eight healthy Icelandic horses. The study showed, among other things, that horses receive high blood concentrations of the drug and that it is broken down much more slowly in horses than in other species. The medication also lowered the horses' blood glucose and insulin levels. This gives hope that the drug can be an effective tool in the treatment of EMS and reduce the risk of affected horses developing laminitis.

The study was funded by the Horse Research Foundation.

Link to the publication

https://doi.org/10.1111/jvp.13476

Reference

Michanek P, Bröjer J, Lilliehöök I, Fjordbakk CT, Löwgren M, Hedeland M, Bergquist J, Ekstrand C. Pharmacokinetics and Alterations in Glucose and Insulin Levels After a Single Dose of Canagliflozin in Healthy Icelandic Horses. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2024 Aug 7. doi: 10.1111/jvp.13476. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39113254.