Palatability evaluation study of a new oral formulation of marbofloxacin in cats

Abstract

At a time when antimicrobial resistance is a global concern in human and animal health, it is of primary importance to draw attention to the problem of compliance with antibiotic therapy in animals hard to medicate such as cats. Resistance may develop because of poor patient compliance with the prescribed course of antibiotic therapy. Increasing palatability might enhance administration compliance. We assessed the acceptability of EFEX tablets, a new oral marbofloxacin formulation for cats. The objective of this study was to compare EFEX to two commercial formulations of marbofloxacin: MARBOCYL P palatable tablets and MARBOCYL Vet tablets. Acceptance tests were run in experimental conditions in 24 cats to compare the spontaneous intake and full consumption of the three pharmaceutical products. The results indicated that EFEX was more palatable than MARBOCYL Vet (0.001<P <0.01) and equally comparable with MARBOCYL P in palatability. There was no difference in the short-term adverse effects between the products.

Acceptability of flavoured pharmaceutically non-active mini-tablets in pet cats tested with a rapid 3-portal acceptance test with and without food

“…On the other hand, despite of the high individual variation, using pet cats is consistent with the EMA guideline ( EMA, 2014 ) for carrying out palatability tests for pharmaceuticals on companion animals with the target population. Some palatability assessments of pharmaceuticals have been conducted on client-owned pet cats ( Giraudel et al., 2010 , Gunew et al., 2008 , Huhtinen et al., 2015 , Litster et al., 2007 , Morton et al., 2011 ), and others on laboratory cats ( Bernachon et al., 2014a , Bernachon et al., 2014b , Cron et al., 2014 ). Cats may have a timid nature and a fear of strangers or unfamiliar environments, and therefore owner-performed palatability testing would help to avoid stress, and thereby obtain more reliable results.…”

“…In our trials, the palatability was evaluated by the voluntary acceptance of the mini-tablet. In previous studies, the voluntary acceptance test has been used either without food ( Bernachon et al., 2014a , Cron et al., 2014 ), with or without food ( Bernachon et al., 2014b , Huhtinen et al., 2015 ), or with food ( Gunew et al., 2008 ). Despite the possible food effects on the bioavailability of the pharmaceutical ( Ahmed & Kasraian, 2002 ), the voluntary acceptance of a pharmaceutical mixed with food is an animal-friendly administration method.…”

“…Laboratory kittens chose food containing large quantities of leucine ( Hargrove, Morris, & Rogers, 1994 ). Various methods have been used to assess the palatability of feline pharmaceuticals ( Bernachon et al., 2014a , Bernachon et al., 2014b , Cron et al., 2014 , Giraudel et al., 2010 , Gunew et al., 2008 , Huhtinen et al., 2015 , Khor et al., 2011 , Litster et al., 2007 , Morton et al., 2011 , Traas et al., 2010 ) because a guideline on the demonstration of palatability of veterinary medicinal products has only been published quite recently by the European Medicines Agency ( EMA, 2014 ).…”