Weekly Companion Animal News: December 15, 2025

Elanco optimistic about Q4 2025 approval for Befrena

At its Investor Day conference, Elanco Animal Health reported that technical sections are complete for Befrena (tirnovetmab), the company’s IL-31 injectable monoclonal antibody for canine dermatitis, with expected differentiation in efficacy, convenience and value. The company said it remains “cautiously optimistic” that administrative review and approval will be complete in Q4 2025.

Dechra receives FDA approval for Emeprev, antiemetic for dogs and cats

Dechra announced FDA approval of Emeprev (maropitant citrate) Injectable Solution, reported to be first FDA-approved bioequivalent injectable solution to the most widely used antiemetic for dogs and cats. Emeprev will be available for order through all major veterinary distributors in early 2026.

CBD supplements could make dogs less aggressive over time

Using data from the Dog Aging Project, researchers in Arizona and Tennessee have identified long-term behavioral change among dogs given CBD supplements over time. After prolonged use, dogs that received supplements were reported to have below-average aggression levels compared to dogs with no CBD use. For other behaviors, including agitation or anxiety, no similar effect was observed.

New tickborne disease identified in dogs

Scientists at North Carolina State University have successfully cultured a newly discovered tickborne disease from the same genus responsible for spotted fever. The infected dog had symptoms similar to those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, another tickborne disease. The team at North Carolina State named the new bacterium Rickettsia finnyi, after Finny, the dog whose blood it was found in.

FDA to lower number of trials required for approval of drugs

The Food and Drug Administration plans to begin requiring one clinical study, instead of the standard two, for medical drugs and products before consideration for approval, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told STAT News. The agency has become increasingly flexible and many drugmakers already submit just one pivotal clinical trial for approval, according to STAT.

ALR Technologies to relaunch pet blood glucose meter in January

Diabetes management company ALR Technologies announced the successful completion of internal manufacturing testing on the GluCurve Pet CGM showing accuracy results comparable to the leading veterinary blood glucose meter. The company has scheduled its relaunch into the U.S. for early Q2 2026 and estimates the potential market size in the U.S. will be 2-3 million per year.

Australia, New Zealand regulators agree to share assessments of new veterinary medicines

The New Zealand Food Safety and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority have agreed to share assessment of new veterinary products. Under their agreement, the agencies will work together on assessments, cross-training staff and increasing the efficiency of their regulatory processes.

Fosun Pharma grants license to Pfizer for GLP-1R agonists for human and veterinary use

Shanghai-based Fosun Pharma announced that its subsidiaries and Pfizer Inc. have entered into an exclusive collaboration and license agreement granting Pfizer an exclusive worldwide license for the development, use, manufacturing and commercialization of oral small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists. The license covers all indications for therapeutic, diagnostic and prophylactic human and veterinary use.