Veterinary scene down under: A new gene therapy trial for hemophiliac canines, plus IWC welcomes first veterinarian Chair

Veterinarian Chair of the International Whaling Commission

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) consisting of 88 member countries is the leading global authority on the conservation and management of whales and whaling. For the past decade, Nick Gales, BVMS, Phd, DSc (Hon), AAM, has been Australia’s Commissioner to the IWC to represent the Australian Government’s policies on whaling.

Gales was recently elected to the position of Chair of the IWC for a 2 year term, and while there has previously been at least 1 other Australian Chair of the organization, Gales is the first veterinarian to hold the position.

“Views on whaling are often polarized and so it’s important that the rules that govern debate and decision making are clear and appropriately supported. The Chair of the IWC is elected by the full membership and as Chair I must avoid being partisan and help steer respectful and constructive debates and decision making among the members,” explained Gales exclusively to dvm360®.

Nick Gales, BVMS, Phd, DSc (Hon), AAM (Image courtesy of Gales)

“I’m very pleased to take on the role of Chair. My aim is to play what role I can in keeping the IWC stable, strong and effective in its critical mission.”

The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling is the Convention that formed the IWC and is now almost 80 years old.

“The IWC remains a critically important organization to address the many complex threats that the world’s whales face. The IWC is the agreed international legal instrument for that regulation and management, and so has a primacy and authority that does not exist elsewhere,” said Gales.

“Consequently the IWC is engaged directly in everything from the sustainable management of whaling for the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, to improving management of whale watching, limiting bycatch in fisheries, looking for solutions to ship strikes and many other contemporary threats to whales and their habitat. The Chair plays a key role in guiding the discussions to assist in achieving these important roles.”

Gales graduated as a veterinarian from Murdoch University in 1980 and during his career has been involved in an array of research projects focused on marine mammals, along with having worked in various leadership roles at the Australian Antarctic Division. In 2021, he was awarded the Australian Antarctic Medal was his 40 years of contribution to theAustralian Antarctic Program.

“My veterinary degree has been an invaluable foundation for my career as a research scientist, and more broadly taking research into the arenas of policy and management. The breadth of training as a vet teaches skills that are both academic and practical; a great formula for so many careers,” said Gales.

The Vet Pharmacist

Leon Warne, BSc(Biol), BBiomedSc(Hons1), BSc, BVMS, MVS, MANZCVS (Anesthesia), DACVAA, PhD has worked in clinical practice, academia, and industry and is recognized as one of Australia’s leading experts on veterinary anesthesia and pain management.

Two years ago he co-founded The Vet Pharmacist with a group of like-minded veterinary professionals and clinical specialists. The Vet Pharmacist aims to improve the quality of life of patients by supplying quality cannabidiol (CBD) medicines, and hard-to-find pharmaceuticals to meet the needs of veterinary patients, along with providing professional education to veterinarians across Australia.

“We're not looking to compete with the conventional larger veterinary wholesalers, but rather develop a niche offering compounded medications, and supplying human medications – which might be hard to source for off-label veterinary use,” said Warne to dvm360.

“We aim to be competitive in terms of those hard to reach products. We're also looking to be able to provide best in class customer service and clinical advice - to enable practitioners to better integrate some of those pharmaceuticals which are not only more challenging to source, but may also be under a cloud of misinformation; CBD is obviously one such medication.”

Practicing veterinarians can sign up as account holders with The Vet Pharmacist to access the professional advice and support offered by Warne and his colleagues as well as be able to order compounded and hard to find medications.

“The professional advice and educational services we provide to veterinary account holders is free. Our return on that investment of time, has so far been successful in terms of new account generation and medication sales,” said Warne.

“And more than anything I think it strengthens the trust in the quality of the medicine and service we provide.”

Veterinarians utilizing the service can access a range of veterinary specialists for clinical case advice, and The Vet Pharmacist guarantees a response either via email or telephone call within 48 hours.

“If you have an anesthesia or a pain related question, generally you get me. If you've got an internal medicine or surgical question then we have other clinicians that are available. We really want to provide something in the pharmaceutical space that's personalized – both in terms of the customer service, professional advice, and medications, and we’re at the forefront of providing those services,” said Warne.

“Our differentiation is around the level of clinical support that we provide vets. So for example, I have clients that may call me for anesthetic advice related to a patient in congestive heart failure or renal disease and that's got nothing to do with any of the products that we distribute or sell. So whilst we really want to provide access to hard to reach medications, we also want to provide clinical support and educational offerings that are beyond the products that we distribute.”

Prior to setting up The Vet Pharmacist, Warne was the Head of Research and Innovation at Little Green Pharma Ltd, Australia’s first local medical cannabis producer. Recognizing that he missed interacting with general practice veterinarians and clinical cases, Warne is enjoying the new focus of his work at The Vet Pharmacist - being able to assist veterinary colleagues every day.

“What makes me feel like I've had a good day and what makes me feel like my cup is full in terms of career, is still strongly based in connection to clinical practice and I probably didn't recognize that until I’d gone without it for some years,” shared Warne.

“So for me, in this circumstance now where I'm able to offer clinical advice to veterinarians and assist with solutions for managing their cases, I find that extremely rewarding. And it's good to see that this is being recognized in the context of being a profitable business as well. So to be able to have that dualism is great.”

Hemophilia Hounds gene therapy trial

A clinical trial into the use of gene therapy to treat dogs with Hemophilia A is looking for canine patients, whilst also fundraising to support the research. Monica Revel DVM, of West Hollywood Animal Hospital is coordinating the gene therapy clinical trial with the Western University School of Veterinary Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Clinical Vector Core.

Hemophilia A is a rare genetic defect that occurs in dogs and humans, and patients with this defect are prone to excessive bleeding because their bodies don’t make enough clotting factor VIII. An Australian miniature dachshund Robbie is one patient with Hemophilia A, who’s owner Leanne Morgan is keen to be part of the research trial.

Robbie is currently a patient of Hannah Lobegeier, BVSc (Hons), MANZCVS, an Internal Medicine Registrar at Greencross Vet Hospital at the University of Melbourne.

Robbie, a patient with hemophilia A (Image courtesy of Leanne Morgan)

“Robbie has severe Factor VIII deficiency, and I’ve been looking after Robbie for almost 2 years. He has had repeated instances of otherwise benign events which have resulted in life-threatening emergencies and required repeated plasma transfusions to provide clotting factors,” explained Lobegeier to dvm360.

“These include dental trauma from a toy causing major hemorrhage and retrobulbar hematoma formation. And urethral obstruction and subsequent surgical intervention with a requirement for ICU recovery over several days owing to his extensive bruising, pain and swelling post-operatively.”

Lobegeier said that the majority of canine patients with Hemophilia A who are severely affected are often euthanized at an early age due to the risk of complications such as which Robbie has experienced.

“Robbie’s owner Leanne has been extremely financially dedicated to his care and overall he is able to lead a relatively normal life with minimal other medical concerns. Our only management options for these patients are avoidance of potentially traumatic events and to reactively treat any hemorrhage with either Fresh Frozen Plasma or Cryoprecipitate,” said Lobegeier.

“This is a large financial burden on pet owners and there is significant morbidity associated for the patients. Gene therapy would hopefully provide a treatment option that would prevent these complications and give affected dogs a better quality of life.”

More information about the Hemophilia Hounds clinical trial is available at the hemophilia hounds website.