Loxicom 0.5mg/ml Oral Suspension for cats

Loxicom 0.5mg/ml Oral Suspension for cats. Uses: Alleviation of inflammation and pain in chronic musculo-skeletal disorders in cats. Dosage & Administration Post-operative pain and inflammation following surgical procedures: After initial treatment with Loxicom 5 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Dogs and Cats continue treatment 24 hours later with Loxicom 0.5 mg/ml oral suspension for cats at a dosage of 0.05 mg meloxicam/kg body weight. The oral follow-up dose may be administered once daily (at 24-hour intervals) for up to four days. Acute musculo-skeletal disorders: Initial treatment is a single oral dose of 0.2 mg meloxicam/kg body weight on the first day. Treatment is to be continued once daily by oral administration (at 24-hour intervals) at a dose of 0.05 mg meloxicam/kg body weight for as long as acute pain and inflammation persist. Chronic musculo-skeletal disorders: Initial treatment is a single dose of 0.1 mg meloxicam/kg bodyweight on the first day. Treatment is to be continued once daily by oral administration (at 24 hour intervals) at a maintenance dose of 0.05 mg meloxicam/kg bodyweight. Dosing Procedure: The syringe fits onto the bottle and has a kg-body weight scale which corresponds to the maintenance dose. Thus for initiation of the therapy on the first day, twice the maintenance volume is required. A clinical response is usually seen within 7 days. Treatment should be discontinued after 14 days at the latest if no clinical improvement is apparent. Avoid the introduction of contamination during use. Contraindictions, Warnings etc: Do not use in pregnant or lactating cats. Do not use in cats suffering from gastrointestinal disorders such as irritation and haemorrhage, impaired hepatic, cardiac or renal function and haemorrhagic disorders. Do not use in case of hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients. Do not use in cats less than 6 weeks of age. Typical adverse reactions of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, faecal occult blood, apathy and renal failure have occasionally been reported. These adverse reactions occur generally within the first treatment week and are in most cases transient and disappear following termination of the treatment but in very rare cases may be serious or fatal. If adverse reactions occur, treatment should be discontinued and the advice of a veterinarian should be sought. Avoid use in any dehydrated, hypovolaemic or hypotensive animal, as there is a potential risk of renal toxicity. Other NSAIDs, diuretics, anticoagulants, aminoglycoside antibiotics and substances with high protein binding may compete for binding and thus lead to toxic effects. Loxicom must not be administered in conjunction with other NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids. Concurrent administration of potential nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided. In the absence of compatibility studies, this veterinary medicinal product must not be mixed with other veterinary medicinal products. Pre-treatment with anti-inflammatory substances may result in additional or increased adverse effects and accordingly a treatment-free period with such veterinary medicinal products should be observed for at least 24 hours before commencement of treatment. The treatment-free period, however, should take into account the pharmacokinetic properties of the products used previously. Response to long-term therapy should be monitored at regular intervals by a veterinary surgeon. Loxicom 0.5 mg/ml oral suspension for cats should not be used following parenteral injection of meloxicam or any other NSAID as appropriate dosage regimens for such follow-up treatments have not been established. Meloxicam has a narrow therapeutic safety margin in cats and clinical signs of overdose may be seen at relatively small overdose levels. In the case of overdose, adverse reactions are expected to be more severe and more frequent. In the case of overdose symptomatic treatment should be initiated. Do not use in pregnant or lactating cats. Do not use in cats suffering from gastrointestinal disorders such as irritation and haemorrhage, impaired hepatic, cardiac or renal function and haemorrhagic disorders. Do not use in case of hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients. Do not use in cats less than 6 weeks of age. Typical adverse reactions of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, faecal occult blood, apathy and renal failure have occasionally been reported. These adverse reactions occur generally within the first treatment week and are in most cases transient and disappear following termination of the treatment but in very rare cases may be serious or fatal. If adverse reactions occur, treatment should be discontinued and the advice of a veterinarian should be sought. Avoid use in any dehydrated, hypovolaemic or hypotensive animal, as there is a potential risk of renal toxicity. Other NSAIDs, diuretics, anticoagulants, aminoglycoside antibiotics and substances with high protein binding may compete for binding and thus lead to toxic effects. Loxicom must not be administered in conjunction with other NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids. Concurrent administration of potential nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided. In the absence of compatibility studies, this veterinary medicinal product must not be mixed with other veterinary medicinal products. Pre-treatment with anti-inflammatory substances may result in additional or increased adverse effects and accordingly a treatment-free period with such veterinary medicinal products should be observed for at least 24 hours before commencement of treatment. The treatment-free period, however, should take into account the pharmacokinetic properties of the products used previously. Response to long-term therapy should be monitored at regular intervals by a veterinary surgeon. Meloxicam has a narrow therapeutic safety margin in cats and clinical signs of overdose may be seen at relatively small overdose levels. In the case of overdose, adverse reactions are expected to be more severe and more frequent. In the case of overdose symptomatic treatment should be initiated. Pharmaceutical Precautions: Shelf-life of the veterinary medicinal product as packaged for sale: 18 months. Shelf-life after first opening the immediate packaging: 6 months. This veterinary medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions. Further Information Meloxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the oxicam class which acts by inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, thereby exerting anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiexudative and antipyretic effects. It reduces leukocyte infiltration into the inflamed tissue. To a minor extent it also inhibits collagen-induced thrombocyte aggregation. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that meloxicam inhibits cyclooxygenase 2 (COX 2) to a greater extent than cyclooxygenase 1 (COX 1). If the animal is fasted when dosed, the maximal plasma concentrations are obtained after approximately 3 hours. If the animal is fed at the time of dosing, the absorption may be slightly delayed. Due to the loading dose, steady state is reached after 2 days (48h). There is a linear relationship between the dose administered and plasma concentration observed in the therapeutic dose range. Approximately 97 % of meloxicam is bound to plasma proteins. Meloxicam is predominantly found in plasma and is also a major biliary excretion product whereas urine contains only traces of the parent compound. Meloxicam is metabolised to an alcohol, an acid derivative and to several polar metabolites. All major metabolites have been shown to be pharmacologically inactive. Meloxicam is eliminated with a half-life of 24 hours. Approximately 75 % of the administered dose is eliminated via faeces and the remainder via urine.