Dr. Hal Schott.
Elanco Animal Health, a Division of Eli Lilly and Company, in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU), Oklahoma State University (OSU), and Louisiana State University (LSU) is seeking horses afflicted with equine Cushing’s disease also known as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (ECD/PPID) to participate in a research study. MSU, OSU and LSU are recruiting cases of ECD/PPID to document the efficacy and safety of pergolide in support of FDA approval. Veterinary prescribed off-label use of pergolide in horses with ECD/PPID has been documented in the literature for nearly twenty years in 25 global, scientific publications. An FDA-approved pergolide product for horses afflicted with ECD will assure the access to and the uniformity and quality of a pergolide therapy for horses in the United States.
About ECD/PPID and Pergolide
Horses nearing fifteen to twenty years of age or older that have not shed out well in the spring for the past one or two years are possibly developing ECD/PPID. Additional signs can include increased water consumption and urination, loss of muscle over the top line, and possibly concurrent development of abnormal fat deposits, such as a crested neck and/or a bulge of fat over each eye. Another sign is unexplained laminitis (founder) and recurrent or chronic infections.
If one or more of these signs is noted in an aged horse, then the horse may be a candidate for the study. An initial evaluation, including laboratory testing, would confirm whether or not the horse would meet study criteria.