Zoetis has announced that it has upscaled production of Apoquel, the oral therapy for the treatment of canine pruritus, and it is now available to all UK vet practices on unlimited distribution.

The company says that there was unprecedented demand for Apoquel following its launch last year, so it had to introduce an allocation system to ensure that those dogs that had started on the product were able to remain on it for as long as their vet deemed appropriate.

During this time, Zoetis focused on strengthening its manufacturing capacity to make the product more widely available.

Apoquel is the first Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor approved for veterinary use. Zoetis says it provides rapid and sustained relief of pruritus and improves skin lesions. Its novel mechanism of action on the JAK enzyme is specifically designed to target the pruritogenic and pro-inflammatory pathways involved in the itch cycle. This, says the company, allows effective reduction of allergic itch regardless of its cause as well as improvement of skin lesions associated with allergic skin diseases and atopic dermatitis.

Ned Flaxman, companion animal business unit director at Zoetis said: “We are very grateful to all our veterinary customers for bearing with us through this product shortage. Over the past 18 months we have incorporated a variety of safeguards to ensure that Apoquel supply will better align with demand. We have reduced the length of time it takes to manufacture Apoquel and added further production capacity.

“It’s been a very long 18 months for everyone involved but we’re looking forward to a very good Christmas and New Year with Apoquel fully back in stock and we’d like to thank all of our customers for their patience.”

For more information, visit www.zoetis.co.uk/apoquel.

PS: Whilst you're here, take a moment to see our latest job opportunities for vet nurses.