Riane Galland Pharmacology Tarleton State University Maverick a

Riane Galland Pharmacology Tarleton State University

§ “Maverick”, a 16 -month-old, neutered male, Boxer suffers from environmental allergies. Like many bully-type breeds, Boxers are susceptible to chronic dermatitis, food allergies and environmental allergies. Given “Maverick’s” central Texas location, environmental allergies started affecting him at a very young age. His owner was initially informed to treat his allergies with diphenhydramine three times daily. The allergies only appeared to worsen over several months and “Maverick” started to lick the interdigital space regularly, creating erythemic lesions on all four paws. MAVERICK

§ Apoquel was introduced as approved by the FDA in May 2013. § Due to extreme demands, quickly became back-ordered and only available to dermatologists and specialty hospitals. § In early 2015, small quantities were shipped to practices throughout the country. § Apoquel, better than steroids? Northland Veterinary Group

§ To understand how Apoquel works, the inflammatory process must be understood first. § Inflammatory cytokines are released when irritants contact the skin. § These cytokines trigger more cytokines to be released and the “inflammatory cascade” begins. § As this illustration exhibits, the synthetic januskinase 1 enzyme inhibitor (Apoquel) binds to the JAK 1 receptor and stops the inflammatory cascade from continuing. Vetion. de

§ Apoquel is metabolized by the kidneys. Entirely. Pets Pharmacy

Plasma metabolites travel to liver § Apoquel is expelled via biliary excretion. Drug metabolites can be reabsorbed or excreted in the feces Liver sends metabolites to Gall Bladder excretes the bile into the intestines when the dog eats

Apoquel is in a new drug class by itself. It is neither an antihistamine nor steroid. Because oclacitinib is a janus kinase 1 inhibitor, it can be classified as an receptor antagonist drug. Receptor antagonist drugs can also be classified as channel blocker drugs.

§ “Maverick” is maintained on Apoquel once daily for severe allergies. § Before Apoquel, “Maverick’s” allergies kept him awake at night, as well as his owners. § Since continuing Apoquel, his itch as decreased significantly to almost no itch at all. § “Maverick” and his family are so happy and thankful! § He enjoys healthy skin and all his hair, not to mention restful nights on his new velour pet bed.

In conclusion, Apoquel is an amazing JAK 1 inhibitor that has few side effects compared to traditional steroid medications and because it is a selected receptor inhibitor, JAK 2 enzymes (related to hematopoiesis) are not blocked. Apoquel can be used long term or for intermittent allergy irritation.

§ http: //www. northvets. co. nz/news/losing-sleep-dogs-itching/ § http: //entirelypetspharmacy. com/apoquel. html § https: //www. vetion. de/taspezial/detail. cfm? aktuell_id=18498 § http: //news. zoetis. com/press-release/companion-animals/fda-approves-apoquel- oclacitinib-tablet-control-itch-and-inflammatio § http: //sepia. unil. ch/pharmacology/index. php? id=57 § https: //www. zoetisus. com/apoquel-pet-owner/pdfs/apoquel_pi. pdf