Sunday, October 10, 2010

Intervet/Schering-Plough's New Canine Ear-Infection Agent: Posatex®


Okay, the honest truth is I am running this item solely to showcase the cute puppy at right -- do click to enlarge. But yes, the below item is old, and it is rather booster-ish -- but man, is that puppy cute!

In any event, here's the press release, from August:

. . . .Intervet/Schering-Plough has launched a next-generation ear infection treatment for canines that combines the benefits of three different agents.

Posatex® Otic Suspension is a seven-day treatment for sufferers of severe otitis externa available in 7.5mg, 15mg and 30g specifications and functions by combating the yeast and bacteria infections that cause the disease.

It contains the active ingredients orbifloxacin, mometasone furoate monohydrate and posaconazole, offering a combination of antifungal, antibiotic and anti-inflammation benefits. . . .

Wait a tic -- isn't mometasone furoate a primary active ingredient in Dulera®, and Nasonex®? Yep -- it is. What is an anti-inflamatory steriod doing in an ear infection combo-suspension? I dunno. Readers?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are correct but, steroids are often used to alleviate inflammation due to cellular (non-bacterial) responses.

As a background, the white cells that would attack the bacteria also cause swelling and contribute to pain. In the inner ear--pretty painful for the cute puppy.

Anonymous said...

And while I'm sure you could have found this here is a pro/con discussion on the use of steroids in human infectious disease.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/meningitis/treating-meningitis-with-corticosteroids.aspx

Anonymous said...

Dogs will often scratch or rub at an injured or infected area that is bothering them.

Adding a steroid to quell the itch is not uncommon. I haven't had to take my current dog to the vet for anything but annual shots for many years. I had used similar products on my late dog for wound care and ophthalmologic treatment. Neither my current dog nor my late dog would tolerate an Elizabethan collar, so adding steroids to antibiotic/antifungal veterinary products make them much more useful.

Of course, if there is something remotely similar in human formulation, especially generic, I will ask the vet for an outside script. Vet prescriptions can be ridiculously overpriced.

Anonymous said...

The steroid alleviates the inflammation you get when the dog has otitis externa. Additionally it acts to ease the itchiness and helps lessen the pain the dog may be experiencing. Applied topically, there is little to no absorption, so immunosuppression or other issues aren't a problem.

Condor said...

Thanks, one and all!

Have a great holiday!

Namaste