There was a lot of great information presented at the August World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology in Vancouver, but I found a series of studies by Pfizer to be among the most intriguing. Pfizer has put a great deal of resources into investigating new approaches to managing canine atopic dermatitis. Some of the findings that they shared at the meeting appear to be laying the groundwork for one or more drugs that they have under development (no launch dates were announced or discussed in this pre-approval time period). Some of the supporting findings that were presented:

1) IL-31: Its role in canine pruritus and prevalence in naturally occurring canine atopic dermatitis. A. Gonzales, et al. Interleukin-31 (IL-31) has been identified as a cytokine secreted by Th2 lymphocytes from allergen-sensitized dogs. IL-31 has been implicated in humans with pruritic skin conditions. Recombinant canine Il-31 was generated. Injection of IL-31 into dogs was found to induce pruritus in an experimental model of canine atopic dermatitis. Increased levels of IL-31 were detected in >50% of dogs with naturally occurring atopic dermatitis.

2) Development of a model of IL-31 induced pruritus in beagle dogs. W. Humphrey, et al. An investigational compound, oclacitinib, a selective Janus kinase inhibitor, inhibits the pruritogenic effect of IL-31 in an IL-31 canine pruritus model. Ocalcitinib is an investigational Pfizer molecule.

Next month, I will summarize several more, related studies.

3) Efficacy of an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody in an allergen induced type I hypersensitivity model. S. Dunham, et al. Pfizer scientists describe the investigation of a caninized anti-IgE monoclonal antibody (mAb) that (a) binds to canine IgE and (b) does not induce mast cell degranulation through cross-linking IgE molecules already bound to the surface of effector cells. They found a dose-dependent reduction in sensitivity to house dust mite extract in sensitized dogs for up to 5 weeks following mAb administration. Could a novel once monthly "allergy shot" be on the way?

In order to study a disease, you need to be able to measure it. To that end, I presented a new scale for the clinical monitoring of dogs with canine atopic dermatitis that I developed and validated. The CADLI (canine atopic dermatitis lesion index) is much quicker to complete (2 minutes) than its predecessor (the CADESI-03), which requires 248 evaluations. The CADLI and scoring guide can be found at www.VetRespit.com/resources.html.    

We've continued to have a great deal of interest in RESPIT, with orders from new clinics every day.  In the coming months, we will be exhibiting at the following meetings:

• August 2012. CVC, Kansas City, MO. Booth #1233.
• September 2012. Southwest Veterinary Symposium, Dallas, TX. Booth #1648.
• November 2012. George Muller-Peter Ihrke Veterinary Dermatology Seminar, Kauai, HI
• January 2013. North American Veterinary Conference,  Orlando, FL