Enrollment open for feline arterial thromboembolism trial

Have a veterinary feline patient that has survived an arterial thromboembolism (ATE)? The University of Georgia Veterinary (UGA) Teaching Hospital is seeking such cats for a multicenter randomized clinical trial in hopes of preventing future ATEs with the use of a novel anticoagulant, according to a press release from the University of Georgia.

This study is known as SUPER-CAT, or the study of the utility of rivaroxaban or clopidogrel for prevention of recurrent arterial thromboembolism in cats. It builds on a previous study known as FATCAT (http://www.vet.cornell.edu/news/FatCatStudy.cfm) that found that the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel delayed ATE recurrence up to eight months longer than aspirin did. SUPER-CAT will compare clopidrogel with rivaroxaban, an anticoagulant that directly inhibits coagulation factor Xa.

Study details

Eligibility: Veterinarians can refer cats with cardiomyopathy that have experienced one ATE episode and recovered and have no other marked health conditions.

Duration: Three years

Once enrolled: Participants will receive either clopidogrel or rivaroxaban for free as well as funds to defray the costs of four visits with board-certified veterinary cardiologists.

Owner investment: Owners will need to fill out a 10-minute questionnaire every other month that assesses the participant's health and activity level.

Morris Animal Foundation is funding the study, and UGA is partnering with Cornell University, North Carolina State University, Auburn University, Tufts University and Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc.

For more details, visit www.t.uga.edu/24x or http://cvccr.com.