Cefovecin Protein Binding as a Predictor for Extended Duration of Action: A Review of Current Literature and in Vitro Analysis in Multiple Zoological Species

Cefovecin treatment of a dental abscess and associated Enterobacter cloacae infection in a red panda (Ailurus fulgens) utilising therapeutic drug monitoring

“…Cefovecin, when used in dogs and cats, is administered by injection every 10–14 days 1 ; however, available evidence 2,3 suggests that other species do not benefit from this property as they do not retain adequate tissue concentrations of the drug for periods of time exceeding 24 hours. A recent review 2 relates the plasma protein binding of cefovecin in different species to its plasma half‐life.…”

“…Cefovecin, when used in dogs and cats, is administered by injection every 10–14 days 1 ; however, available evidence 2,3 suggests that other species do not benefit from this property as they do not retain adequate tissue concentrations of the drug for periods of time exceeding 24 hours. A recent review 2 relates the plasma protein binding of cefovecin in different species to its plasma half‐life. However, the evidence that plasma protein binding is lower in species where cefovecin has a shorter half‐life is not definitive, and examples of highly plasma protein bound drugs with short half‐lives in a variety of species are also cited.…”

“…More investigation of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cefovecin (and similar drugs) is required in order to better understand their place in the treatment of diseases of veterinary importance across the taxa. The same reference 2 reported a range from 1 hour (domestic fowl) to 11 days (Patagonian sea lion); however, data were still only available for 32 species across 16 taxonomic orders.…”

“…Long‐acting antibiotic preparations reduce such stressors by increasing inter‐treatment intervals. Cefovecin, when used in dogs and cats, is administered by injection every 10–14 days 1 ; however, reviews of published evidence 2,3 suggest that other species do not benefit from this ability as they do not retain adequate tissue concentrations of the drug for periods of time exceeding 24 hours.…”

“…Species belonging to the order Carnivora have been shown to exhibit longer duration of cefovecin antibacterial effect compared with other orders 2 and, as red panda is a member of the Carnivora, it might be implied that this species too might exhibit a similar effect. There are 279 extant species within Carnivora, yet cefovecin pharmacokinetics has only been reported in 12 species to date.…”