New Day Dawning (Eventually?) for FIP

New Day Dawning (Eventually?) for FIP

I hear that it’s theoretically possible to survive FIP, but I have never witnessed this. FIP is a viral disease of cats that is virtually always fatal and usually preys on kittens. FIP, or feline infectious peritonitis, is characterized by fevers and by profuse accumulation of immune system components. In the “wet form” of FIP, a thick, syrupy fluid fills the chest or abdominal cavity, producing a sickly, big-bellied kitten that gradually wastes away. In the “dry form”, organs such as kidney, eye, and brain are invaded with virus-infected cells from the patient’s own immune system. There is so much incompatible tissue in these organs that they cannot function, and the kitten eventually dies.

FIP is a really terrible disease because, despite their young age, it’s basically a death sentence for its victims. There is some hope, however, that the situation may change. About two years ago, we heard that researchers were making significant progress toward a cure for FIP. That sounded, frankly, a bit too good to be true. From time to time, someone’s discovery gets a moment in the spotlight. We’re told that it will revolutionize the treatment of some heretofore incurable disease, but the hype quickly fizzles. I suppose the researchers or the media just get a little ahead of themselves. This particular work resurfaced a few months ago, however, and it seems to be the genuine article.

Scientists from Kansas State and from UC Davis tested two compounds, known as GC and GS, on cats with FIP and found that the vast majority of patients survived. Viewed against the devastating landscape of this disease, it was nothing short of miraculous. Recovery was rapid and complete; virtually every sick kitten got a brand-new lease on life. 

An immediate appearance on the news and flashy ad campaign might have been anticipated, but both antivirals were rapidly shepherded away to an undisclosed location. It turns out that each compound shows potential for the creation of treatments for Ebola, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and Norovirus infections. The patent holders have expressed reluctance to gamble with their chance at developing (and thus owning) a drug that might be used for human illness, so they’ve shut off all access to both GC and GS.

Desperate cat owners currently suffering with FIP are looking in other directions, none of them legal. Some of them have approached the chemical suppliers posing as researchers. Chinese counterfeits are available, if you know where to look (and have a few thousand dollars to spend), but those providers emerge and vanish at a moment’s notice due to their unlawful status. Of course, there is zero regulatory oversight for these kitchen-sink operations. Veterinarians are even more powerless than the general public, since their licenses to practice can be revoked for illegal acquisition and use of medicines.

An actual cure for FIP has every mark of a modern miracle, but its absence from our pharmacy shelves is a familiar and tiresome story: a lot of drama and gratuitous suffering stemming from a battle that seems to center on the almighty dollar.

Dr. M.S. Regan