BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has conducted clinical trials on the treatment of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). FIP, caused by a feline coronavirus, is often deadly despite aggressive treatment strategies. . The study was conducted on cats under 12 months of age with the wet form of FIP. Two separate trials are running to explore different treatment strategies. One trial investigates stem cell therapies while the other studied the effectiveness of two antiviral drugs. The trials are building on earlier research conducted at UC Davis by Professor Emeritus Niels Pedersen.

The two antiviral drugs under investigation are GS-441524 (previously studied by Dr. Pedersen) and its pro-drug, remdesivir, which is currently under emergency use authorization status from the FDA for treatment of COVID-19. GS-441524 is not currently available in the US. However, many cat owners have successfully treated their cats with FIP with the assistance of a Facebook group known as FIP Warriors that works to import GS-441524 through Chinese black-market sources.

The second trial is exploring the combination of antiviral drugs and stem cell therapy using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) This study is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Development. The premise is that MSC therapy will help the immune system clear the virus and repair compromised immune systems post-infection. The findings from this trial could feed into a larger study exploring treatments for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children after exposure to COVID-19, which is a similar condition to what occurs in cats with FIP. 

To date, antiviral trials have proved successful with both remdesivir and GS-441524 in cats with the wet form of FIP. New clinical trials are studying their effectiveness in dry FIP. Information as to treatment protocols and dosing are published on the university’s website at https://ccah.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cats/resources/feline-infectious-peritonitis-clinical-trials.