Insulin resistance is a growing concern in the equine community, but scientists are working to develop a new drug to help horses affected by this challenging-to-treat condition

Affected horses and ponies are often overweight, have a cresty neck, are covered in oddly placed fat deposits, and suffer from continual bouts of laminitis. Some breeds are more likely to develop insulin resistance than others, and it’s sometimes observed in concert with equine metabolic syndrome and/or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.

Current treatment regimens for insulin resistance center on weight loss, exercise, and dietary and management changes that can be time-consuming for busy horse owners. In other words, there is currently no “cure” for insulin resistance. Scientists at Jaguar Animal Health, however, hope to help remedy that situation over the next few years.

“Notices of allowance have just been granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office for two patent applications licensed by Jaguar Animal Health for an active pharmaceutical ingredient called NP-500,” says Steven King, PhD, executive vice president of sustainable supply, ethnobotanical research, and intellectual property

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