Covid medication remdesivir proves a 25k cure for fatal cat disease FIP

A Covid drug that had limited success in humans has turned out to be the cure for a deadly feline disease. The catch? It will set you back $25K.

A Covid-type virus that affects felines is forcing cat lovers to fork out up to $25,000 to treat their beloved pets.

The antiviral drug remdesivir was initially approved for distribution in Australia as a treatment for Covid-19 in humans, though with limited success.

Now vets are finding the drug extremely effective in treating feline infectious peritonitis, a mutated coronavirus that affects cats.

It is a different disease to the coronaviruses that affect humans and is almost 100 per cent fatal.

Cat owners Imraaz Kahn and his wife Jotyshna could not be more grateful for the new treatment after their one-year-old Burmese cat Zeus was diagnosed with FIP.

FIP patient Zeus with owners Imraaz Khan and Jotyshna Khan. Picture: John Feder

“He went from being very active, to just staying in the corner, not eating, not sleeping,” Mr Kahn said.

“In the end, he couldn’t even walk.”

During his illness, Zeus lost half his body weight and came close to death.

After seeing experts at SASH veterinary hospital, he was put on remdesivir and his condition dramatically improved.

Yet, at $66 a tablet it was not a decision the Kahns took lightly. After three months, the family had spent more than $25,000 on Zeus’s treatment, a cost they ultimately deemed was worth it.

“We would do it again,” said Mr Kahn.

The 1 year and 8 month old Burmese lost half his body weight during his illness. Picture: John Feder

But after three months on remdesivir he’s back to his energetic self. Picture: John Feder

“It’s really expensive but fortunately we can afford it.

“Our cats kept us sane during the whole pandemic … he’s our boy.”

Though the drug is available at vets across the country, research on its effectiveness is still being carried out by the University of Sydney.

The Khan family are fortunate to have been able to afford the pricey treatment. Picture: John Feder

SASH veterinarian Dr Stephanie Leeder says she’s never seen anything like it.

“It’s really exciting,” she said.

“How many times in your career as a medical professional do you get to see a disease go from 100 per cent deadly to seemingly curable?”

While the prognosis looks positive, cats like Zeus have only been treated for a few months, meaning more research is needed to see if the cure is permanent.

“We don’t know if it’s going to come back in one or two years,” Dr Leeder said.

“But at this point we have some cats many months out and they seem cured, so you don’t see that very often.”

Originally published as Covid medication remdesivir proves a 25k cure for fatal cat disease FIP