The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the use of Elanco’s CPMA treatment for passive immunity, allowing veterinarians to protect exposed puppies from canine parvovirus as a preventative option. Photo from Elanco.

News Release

GREENFIELD — Elanco Animal Health Incorporated today announced several milestones to defend against deadly canine parvovirus, or “parvo” — a disease that affects more than 330,000 puppies annually, with a mortality rate up to 91% without supportive care. Most significantly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the use of Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody to prevent parvo infection in puppies.

Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody is the first and only USDA conditionally approved treatment to target parvo.

Elanco also expanded the availability of CPMA by donating more than $3 million of the product to 2,300 clinics and shelters in high parvo areas across the country. The sampling program helped shelters, veterinarians and pet owners have greater access to this life-saving treatment.

In the last three months alone, the expanded availability of CPMA has increased the potential to save thousands of puppies’ lives, while providing shelters and clinics a firsthand opportunity to experience the treatment.

“We understand that pet owners and veterinarians are navigating rising costs and financial uncertainty right now, which is why we’re focused on making CPMA even more accessible to every puppy that needs it,” said Dr. Chris George, veterinarian and infectious disease expert at Elanco Animal Health.

The expanded product label protects dogs who have been exposed to this deadly virus, including shelter environments where resources are often constrained. In a clinical study when given at a prophylactic dose, CPMA was 100% effective in the passive immunity of healthy dogs 8 weeks of age or older against parvo.

Recently, a Florida shelter treated and saved the lives of 27 parvo puppies using CPMA, the largest recorded group to be saved by this treatment to date. Puppies like Ohana, Zen and Omni are thriving and available for adoption, demonstrating the impact that this life-saving treatment can have on puppies across the country.

“Parvo is a very deadly, contagious virus, and unfortunately, a lot of puppies don’t make it through. CPMA has saved so many puppies,” said Tom Baumann, shelter manager for the SPCA of Brevard Adoption Center in Florida. “Within three days of treatment, these puppies went from being lethargic and critically ill to eating on their own, having solid stools, and getting their energy back. What normally takes over a week of intensive supportive care was accomplished in just three days.”

Florida, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana and New York have some of the highest reported cases of canine parvovirus outbreaks in the last year, according to ParvoTrack, the first-ever national online parvo tracking tool launched by Elanco in 2023.

CPMA’s development originated at California-based Kindred Biosciences Inc., which was bought in a $440 million deal by Elanco.

To learn more about CPMA, visit DefeatParvo.com.