Introduction
Merial and pain management
Merial, world leader in animal health, is devoted to supporting and developing research into Pain Management.
Merial has been involved in the management of both acute and chronic pain following the development of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ketoprofen (Ketofen®) and more recently firocoxib (Previcox®) (the highest selective Cox-2 inhibitors commercialized for veterinary use).
Merial is also interested in the prevention and management of cancer. In the US, Merial recently launched the first melanoma vaccine for dogs, while it also developed a non-adjuvanted vaccine range for cats (Purevax®).
In Split, we wanted to explore a possible role for high COX-2 selective inhibitors, such as firocoxib in the management of perioperative pain and as an adjunct in cancer treatment.