Virbac is pleased to announce the launch of STELFONTA®, a breakthrough injectable solution to treat mastocytoma in dogs.

STELFONTA® is licensed for the treatment of non-resectable, non-metastatic (WHO staging¹) subcutaneous MCTs located at or distal to the elbow or the hock, and non-resectable, non-metastatic cutaneous MCTs in dogs. Tumours must be less than or equal to 8cm³ in volume and must be accessible to intratumoural injection.

STELFONTA® contains tigilanol tiglate, a compound extracted from the seed of a shrub found in the rainforest of North Queensland, Australia: Fontainea picrosperma. It’s a targeted intratumoural treatment that does not require long-term drug treatment or general anaesthesia. For both the animal and its owner, it’s a pathway to preserving a better quality of life, particularly since a single treatment is sufficient to destroy the tumour completely in 75% of observed cases.

Mast cell tumours are the most common form of skin cancer in dogs, accounting for up to 21% of skin cancer cases². Until now surgical removal of the tumour has been the standard of care, but surgery can pose challenges for the veterinary surgeon, such as the accessibility of the tumour in order to obtain sufficient margins and anaesthetic risks, particularly in senior and brachycephalic pets.

“Stelfonta is an innovative yet simple treatment which provides a high tumour elimination rate, rapid healing and a speedy return to a good quality of life for the pet. In the cases studied, the tumour was destroyed in seven days and full wound healing observed in 96.5% of cases, with no significant adverse effects on the dog” says Dr Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Product Manager at Virbac. “The effects of Stelfonta really do need to be seen to be believed” he adds.

STELFONTA® is administered by injection directly into the tumour mass and generally, dogs do not require sedation or local or general anaesthesia during treatment. Tigilanol tiglate works largely through specific protein kinase c (PKC) activation, in which it locally stimulates the immune system, resulting in destruction of the tumour and the tumour’s blood supply, followed by rapid healing of the site with minimal scarring.

“Cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs with as many as 1 in 4 dogs developing cancer at some point in their lives³” says Andrew Connolly, Marketing Director at Virbac. “We are therefore delighted to be able to bring such a significant advancement in veterinary oncology to the market. It is our hope that Stelfonta will significantly improve both the clinical outcome and quality of life for pets fighting this disease” he adds.

For more information on STELFONTA®, or any of the other products in the Virbac portfolio, please speak to your Virbac Territory Manager.