A Ragdoll cat is judged during an international feline beauty contest in Bucharest, Romania, Sep 28, 2024. About 250 hundred cats of around 30 breeds participate in the two-day contest. Photo:Xinhua

A Chinese pharmaceutical company has announced that a weight-loss drug it developed for cats is currently undergoing the market approval process, drawing discussion among netizens.

Huadong Medicine recently announced that the marketing registration application for its Class I new veterinary drug has been accepted by China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with its intention being weight management for adult obese cats, domestic media outlet Jiemian News reported.

In line with China's regulations and procedures for new veterinary drug registration, the entire review cycle is expected to take approximately one year, Jiemian News reported, citing the company. 

The company said the weight-loss drug requires weekly subcutaneous injections. 

Results from the Phase III clinical study for weight management in obese cats showed that after six weeks of administration in the recommended dose group, the body weight of the tested cats decreased by 9.26 percent from the baseline, with 72.31 percent of the animals experiencing weight loss exceeding 5 percent from the baseline, the report said.

The test results confirmed that the drug has a significant weight-reducing effect on obese cats at the recommended dosage, Jiemian News reported. Cats in the recommended dose group exhibited good tolerance with no drug-related adverse reactions observed, the report said.

The drug submitted for the cats' application has been specifically designed with differentiated features tailored to the characteristics of pet medication, including administration methods and dosage, the company said.

The drug has been precisely optimized for cat's weight, with specifications entirely different from those for human use to ensure the accuracy and safety of pet medication, according to the report.

The introduction of a weight-loss drug for animals has attracted attention from netizens. Some expressed curiosity, noting that the trend of weight loss has now extended to cats' family. Others voiced concerns about potential side effects of the drug on cats, with one netizen commenting, "I wouldn't experiment with my own cat." Additionally, some netizens also raised questions about the drug's pricing.

According to data from the China Pet Industry White Paper, the obesity rate among pet cats in China has reached 28.1 percent. Obesity increases the risk of health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory conditions, and joint problems in pets, the report said.


Global Times