ARTI-CELL® FORTE, the first stem cell-based veterinary medicine to receive marketing authorisation for the treatment of equine lameness, is being hailed as a breakthrough medicine for degenerative joint disease in horses, says Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.

DR Amy Scott MRCVS, Boehringer Ingehlheim’s performance horse portfolio manager, explains why the treatment is such a significant step for equine lameness: “Arti-Cell® Forte is the first ‘ready-to-use’ stem cell-based product to be licensed in any veterinary species, and the only stem cell treatment to contain induced cells, representing a significant leap forward in both stem cell therapies and medicine as a whole.

“Arti-Cell® Forte contains stem cells that have been chondrogenically induced and therefore primed to develop into the cartilage cell lineage. Studies have shown that chondrogenically induced stem cells demonstrate an enhanced clinical outcome compared to un-induced stem cells in the treatment of joint disease in horses¹,” explains Dr Scott. “This makes Arti-Cell® Forte a highly targeted and effective treatment for cartilage damage associated with degenerative joint disease.”

Arti-Cell Forte is available direct from Boehringer Ingelheim to veterinary practitioners and is stored at ultra-low temperatures to maintain its impressive two year shelf life from manufacture, either frozen at -70 ⁰C to -90 ⁰C (dry ice, -80 ⁰C freezer) or -196 ⁰C (liquid nitrogen) until immediately prior to injecting. The company is providing full training on storage and administration via face-to-face CPD at practice meetings or specific CPD events*.

*Boehringer Ingelheim is running a number of practice meetings and CPD events throughout 2019, please contact your local territory manager for more information. Alternatively please contact the Boehringer Ingelheim Technical Services Team on 01344 746957 or vetenquiries@boehringer-ingelheim.com