Oral rapamycin for Severe Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis (SAS) in Dogs

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether three times weekly dosing with oral rapamycin can reverse the heart muscle changes associated with subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS) in dogs.
Dogs will undergo an initial screening for eligibility. If your dog enrolls, they will be randomized to receive either low dose rapamycin, high dose rapamycin, or placebo in a double blinded fashion and return for 3 and 6 month recheck visits.

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Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Immunothrombosis

Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cardiomyopathy in cats affecting nearly 1 in 3 cats. It is caused by thickening of the heart muscle. To date, diagnosis of HCM-affected cats relies solely on echocardiogram or ultrasound performed by a specialist. This greatly hinders our ability to diagnose HCM as many cats with the disease are not symptomatic.

HCM in cats lead to complications such as congestive heart failure and heart rhythm abnormalities but feline arterial thromboembolism (FATE) or “saddle thrombus” is by far the deadliest. It has a mortality rate of up to 70% and in-hospital mortality rate of ~50% within the first 48 hours.

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The HALT Study

This is a multi-site, blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical field study to provide substantial evidence of effectiveness of a disease modifying drug intervention in the management of ventricular hypertrophy in cats with subclinical HCM. The study will be conducted at multiple clinical sites that are experienced in treating cats with HCM. The study will consist of up to a 14-day screening period, followed by a 12-month once-weekly dosing period, with five post-enrollment study visits.

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