Suprelorin® to Be Available in Europe in Early 2008
Peptech Animal Health has announced an agreement with pharmaceutical company Virbac to manufacture, market and distribute Suprelorin for male dog contraception in Europe. Suprelorin is already available in Australia and New Zealand in both 6- and 12-month treatments. The product is administered through a tiny implant injected through a syringe (similar to microchip insertion). Anticipated to be available in early 2008, Suprelorin will be the first long-acting pet contraceptive in Europe.

Click here to read the press release from Peptech.



The Holy Grail for Street Dogs in India
Excerpts from the article:
"Of the 55,000 annual rabies deaths around the world, about 20,000 occur in India. Most of the victims are children and nearly all are infected through dog bites.... There are no reliable estimates for the number of dogs in India, but the figure would be in the tens of millions....

"Currently two methods are used to control these large street dog populations. Periodic culling is the traditional method preferred by many municipalities. This is often done using inhumane methods such as mass electrocution, beating or drowning. In some cities ... animal welfare groups have promoted Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes.... Evidence from Jaipur suggests that this approach is successful in controlling both dog numbers and rabies. However, ABC programmes come at a considerable price and in many places finding the funds, infrastructure and veterinary expertise necessary is difficult or impossible.

"The Holy Grail of dog population control in India would be a contraceptive that would render the female permanently infertile in one treatment with minimal resource requirements.... Data from Jaipur suggests that the average female dog that survives puppyhood lives between three and four years. Thus, an injectible dog contraceptive lasting three years or more would be a great advance for humane dog control in India."

Read the full article here.

Non-Surgical Sterilization and Dr. Julie Levy Included in Congressional Record   
U.S. Representative Cliff Stearns notes Dr. Julie Levy's work on non-surgical pet contraceptives during acknowledgement of the achievements of the University of Florida.

"Enrolling almost 50,000 students annually, UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. During the 2005-2006 school year, UF was awarded $519 million in sponsored research. This research includes diverse areas such as health care and citrus production, including the world's largest citrus research center.

"My colleagues, one example of this innovative research is veterinarian Julie Levy, who is one of the worldwide leaders of research into a revolutionary, humane drug option for spraying and neutering cats and dogs. As it is now, the only way to permanently sterilize these animals is surgically. What if this process were as simple as a vaccine? Dr. Levy, at the University of Florida, is working on this research project today.

"On both the field and in the classroom, the students, faculty, and administration of the University of Florida are champions. I am honored that this world-class university is in my congressional district and I look forward to many great things in the future."

Thank you to Lauren Semeniuk, a great friend of ACC&D and non-surgical pet sterilization, for helping make this mention possible and for sharing the transcript!

Click here to read the entire segment.  

Suprelorin® - a New Tool in the Toolkit for Dog Birth Control        
By Joyce Briggs
President, Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs

"If the only viable tool you have is a scalpel, surgery is your only option for birth control in dogs and cats. Fortunately, there are a few new tools in veterinarians’ toolkit. Suprelorin®, already available in Australia and New Zealand, is being launched in Europe, with plans for a future U.S. launch as well. Our web site gives more details on this product from Peptech Animal Health and provides links to some of the recent press. The implant—which is injected under the skin like a microchip—safely contracepts male dogs for 6 months (a version with 12-month duration is already available in Australia). Like surgical neutering, Suprelorin dramatically reduces testosterone in the blood. But of course it is temporary, and must be repeated to continue contraception. Although licensed for use in male dogs, scientific publications have reported this technology works in female dogs and cats of both genders. In fact, Intervet Animal Health has recently received regulatory approval for a similar product, Gonazon®, for 12-month contraception of female dogs.  For ACC&D and other animal welfare advocates whose goal is to address pet homelessness and suffering through population control, these temporary products do not fit the profile we seek. As you’ll see elsewhere on our web site, we target a single application that is permanent, though we do see some potential for a contraceptive lasting three years or more.

"However, the launch of Suprelorin and the potential of a female equivalent will provide additional tools for responsible owners to prevent unwanted litters, especially for those who are adverse to surgery, or whose dog is not a good surgical candidate."

Read the full article here.  
 


ACC&D Press Releases

American Humane Grants $25,000 to Find Ways to Sterilize Pets Without Surgery (January 10, 2008)

Progress Encouraging at Third International Symposium on Contraception for Pets (brief report) (November 29, 2006)

Beyond Spaying and Neutering: Highlights from the Third International Symposium on Non-Surgical Contraceptive Methods for Pet Population Control (longer version) (November 29, 2006)

ACC&D and Pet Contraceptives (June 15, 2006)

ACC&D Gives First Grant (July 26, 2006)



Media Coverage of ACC&D and Non-Surgical Contraception

Hiding in Plain Sight: Feral cat colonies thrive with TLC and TNR
-Best Friends Magazine, May/June 2008, by Sandy Miller

Sterility Vaccine Might Help Control Feral Cat Population
-Cat Fancy, June 2008

American Humane Grants $25,000 to Find Ways to Sterilize Pets Without Surgery
-GoodNewsforPets.com

Dealing the Ace of Spayed: New techniques will offer effective, affordable sterilization
-Best Friends Magazine, November/December 2007, by Sandy Miller

The fix is in for pet control                 
-USA Today, July 5, 2007, by Sharon Peters

They Can't Use Condoms
-Animal Sheltering, January/February 2007, by Catherine Mullin, V.M.D.

Getting Beyond Surgical Contraception
-Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), January 2007

Beyond Spaying and Neutering
-ACC&D Symposium report written by Dr. Linda Rhodes, as submitted to AnimalPharm News (December 2006)

Non-Surgical Contraceptives for Pet Population Control
-Dr. Linda Rhodes for AnimalPharm News (www.animalpharmnews.com) (January 15, 2007)

Just What the Doctor Ordered: Non-surgical Sterilization for Cats and Dogs
-Richard De Angeli, Animal Guardian (Fall 2006)

Cutting Edge Sterilization
-Best Friends Animal Society's Web News (June 22, 2006)

Contraception for Cats and Dogs
-Cat Fanciers' Association (January 2007)

Animals Matter: Alternatives to Spay/Neuter Surgeries
-Freelance writer Cathy Rosenthal's blog entry in My San Antonio (June 19, 2006)

Update on Suprelorin®
-ACC&D president Joyce Briggs interviews Paul Schober, general manager of Peptech

US: The organization ACC&D works on non-surgical technologies for humane population control
-Best Friends Animal Society's Web News (April 20, 2006)

Spay/Neuter Without Surgery?
-Q&A from the Best Friends Network, No More Homeless Pets Forum (July 21-30, 2006)

The Future of Spay/Neuter
-Q&A from the Best Friends Network, No More Homeless Pets Forum (August 2, 2004)


Publications

Humane Wildlife Solutions
-from Humane Society Press (available here as a free download)
Edited by Allen T. Rutberg, Humane Wildlife Solutions. Contains six groundbreaking essays by distinguished experts in the field of immunocontraception who discuss the victories and occasional setbacks in the field of non-lethal wildlife contraception since 1987. The last chapter discusses a study done on dog contraception.

Wildlife Contraception
Issues, Methods, and Applications (Zoo and Aquarium Biology and Conservation Series) (Hardcover) by Cheryl S. Asa, Ingrid J. Porton

Animal Welfare Information Center Resource Series No. 28 - January 2005
Compiled and edited by:
Kristina M. Adams M.S.
National Agricultural Library, U.S. Department of Agriculture
This publication provides a comprehensive listing of the literature published on the broad topic of spaying and neutering cats and dogs, including sections on chemical, hormonal and immunological alternatives to surgery.

The Definitive Guide
Consider ordering Contraception and Fertility Control in Animals, by Linda Rhodes V.M.D, PhD, and Katherine Moldave, M.B.A. Published in late 2002 and originally $1800, this report is now available for $1,000 and AlcheraBio will donate 15% of the purchase price back to ACC&D.

“Never before have an expert in animal reproduction and animal drug development, and an expert in the marketing of animal health products pooled their resources for a much needed report on contraception and fertility control in pets and farm animals. This report has all the hallmarks to become an indispensable resource for everyone involved in animal contraception, especially in pet population control.”
-Dr. Wolfgang Jöchle, prominent consultant to animal health companies working on reproductive control products