Oclacitinib in feline nonflea-, nonfood-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis: results of a small prospective pilot study of client-owned cats.

BACKGROUND: Oclacitinib is a Janus kinase inhibitor that decreases pruritus and lesions in allergic dogs. In cats, it is able to inhibit interleukin-31-induced pruritus; no information is available on its clinical effectiveness.

HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy, ease of administration and tolerability of oclacitinib in feline nonflea-, nonfood-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis.

METHODS: Cats >12 months of age and >3 kg body weight with a diagnosis of nonflea-, nonfood-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis were treated with oclacitinib, 0.4-0.6 mg/kg orally (p.o.) twice daily for 2 weeks, then once daily for an additional 14 days. Clinical lesions were evaluated with the Scoring Feline Allergic Dermatitis (SCORFAD) system and pruritus was evaluated with a 10-cm-long visual analog scale (VAS) before and at the end of the study. Owners assessed global efficacy, ease of administration and tolerability with a four-point scale.

RESULTS: Twelve cats were treated with a mean initial oclacitinib dose of 0.47 mg/kg p.o. twice daily. There was good improvement in SCORFAD and VAS pruritus scores in five of 12 cases, while the other cats were unchanged, deteriorated or dropped out due to treatment failure. Owners scored global efficacy as good/excellent in four of 12 cases and ease of administration and tolerability as good/excellent in 10 of 12.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Oclacitinib at 0.4-0.6 mg/kg p.o. may be an effective and safe drug for some cats with nonflea-, nonfood-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis. Further studies are needed to identify the most effective dose range for this species.