Getting itchy dogs back to normal

Zenrelia™ gets 45% more itchy dogs back to normal than Apoquel^®1**

Zenrelia gets more dogs back to normal than Apoquel

A higher proportion of dogs treated with Zenrelia achieved a PVAS (Pruritis Visual Analogue Scale) score of less than two by day 112, compared to dogs treated with Apoquel. A 'normal' itch score is considered to be comparable to that of a healthy, non-allergic dog (PVAS<2)¹.

: PVAS is a tool to help measure the level of itch in dogs, used widely in clinical studies and general practice³.
PVAS is a scale from 0-10, with increasing numbers corresponding to increasing severity of itch over 24 hours.

Veterinary expert on raising expectations with itchy dogs

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"When they interviewed the clients with pets with skin disease, they asked what they were expecting after treatment. Only 12% of clients would have been happy with a 50% improvement in itch, and actually 79% of clients expected their pet to go back to normal”

Dr Victoria Robinson BVM&S, BSc, CertAVP (VD), DipECVD, MRCVS

RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology

Zenrelia is highly rated by both dog owners and vets¹

Owners

Vets

When dog owners were asked 'How much has your dog improved?', Zenrelia scored significantly higher than Apoquel^†

Graph to show how pet owners rate improvement in their dog's itch - Apoquel vs Zenrelia

Learn More About Zenrelia

Zenrelia offers significant improvement in skin lesions vs. Apoquel from day 28^1†††

The Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent & Severity Index (CADESI) is a tool to help measure the level of skin lesions in dogs, used widely in clinical studies.⁵

Vet-assessed skin lesion score (CADESI-04)

Graph to show vet-assessed skin lesion scores (CADESI-04)

Study Design and Key Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria¹

: Multi-centre study: 25 referral and first opinion vet clinics across Europe (Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Hungary).
Duration: 112 days (includes optional continuation phase following the initial 56 day study).
Participants: 338 client-owned atopic dogs, with 169 dogs per treatment group. A total of 154 dogs entered the continuation phase, they remained in the same treatment groups (75 Zenrelia, 79 Apoquel). The highest contributing breeds were French Bulldogs, Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherd Dogs. Purebred dogs were more represented in the study than mixed breed dogs (approximately 70:30).
Treatments assessed: Zenrelia once-daily from the start vs Apoquel twice-daily for two weeks, then once-daily. Dogs were equally and randomly split between groups.
Double blinded: A separate dispenser gave medication to the owners in study-specific packaging. Owners and vets did not know which dog was on which medication.
Outcomes measured: Itch scores (PVAS); Lesion scores (CADESI-04); Vet-assessed response to treatment; Owner-assessed response to treatment.
Clinical examinations: Clinical examinations were performed on days 0, 14, 28, 56, 84 and 112.
: Client-owned dogs, age ≥12 months, weight ≥3 kg, diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. Dogs had to have severe pruritus (PVAS score ≥6.0 of 10), as assessed by owners and at least a moderate lesion score (CADESI-04 score ≥35 of 180), as assessed by the vet.
Pregnant, lactating and breeding dogs were excluded.
Exclusion of diseases resembling atopic dermatitis including:
Food allergies
Flea allergy dermatitis
Primary bacterial or fungal dermatitis
Parasitism
Metabolic disease
No evidence of fleas. Flea control required during study for all dogs.
Concomitant medications which could impact PVAS efficacy (e.g., glucocorticoids) were prohibited and washout periods were required.
Other concomitant medications were allowed, including antiparasitic drugs, vaccinations, shampoos or ear cleaners, nutritional products, and topical or otic products (if they did not contain a steroid).

Want to know more? Read the full study:

Learn more

How Zenrelia works

Zenrelia is the only JAK inhibitor for dogs with high potency for JAK1, JAK2 & TYK2, key JAK enzymes involved in itch and inflammation^{¥, 6-8}. By targeting multiple JAK enzymes & inhibiting the function of several cytokines involved in itch and inflammation, Zenrelia gets more itchy dogs back to normal than Apoquel, with a comparable safety profile^α††^1,6,7,9,10.

The best way to evaluate a JAK inhibitor efficacy and safety is through head to head real-world studies^10,11. JAK selectivity based on in vitro assays shouldn't be used in isolation to evaluate product efficacy and safety¹¹.

Questions?

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Zenrelia Resources

Dosing Guide

Discover how to prescribe Zenrelia's once-daily dose.

Download dosing guide

Owner Pre-Prescription Tear Off Pad

Support owners with tracking their dog's itch level.

Download tear off pad

Owner Post-Prescription Itch Tracker

Support owners with dogs on Zenrelia to track their itch.

Download itch tracker

Itchy Dog Social Media Toolkit

Encourage owners of itchy dogs to check their itch levels and discuss treatment options with your team.

Access Toolkit

* Referenceable claims in digital & social copy can be found on this page. Full reference list below.

** 77% of dogs treated with Zenrelia achieved PVAS <2 by day 112 compared to 53% of dogs treated with Apoquel. A ‘normal’ itch score is considered to be comparable to that of a healthy, non-allergic dog (PVAS <2)¹.

^†Response to treatment was assessed using a simple VAS scale graded from 'no improvement' at 0 cm to 'excellent improvement' at 10 cm¹.

^††A ‘normal’ itch score is considered to be comparable to that of a healthy, non-allergic dog (PVAS<2)¹.
^†††Improvement based on mean CADESI-04 scores from Day 28. A CADESI-04 score of <10 is comparable to that of a healthy, non-allergic dog¹.

^‡ 79% of owners expect a PVAS of 0-1.9².

^¥Multiple JAK enzymes are involved in itch and inflammation, in particular JAK1,JAK2 & TYK2¹¹.

^αProinflammatory & pruritogenic cytokines implicated in allergic skin disease & allergic responses include IL-2, IL-6, IL-4,, IL-13 & IL-31⁷.

BID, twice-daily; IRTT, investigator-assessed response to treatment; ORTT, owner-assessed response to treatment; PVAS, pruritus visual analogue scale; SID, once daily; VAS, visual analogue scale.

Forster S et al. Vet Dermatol 2025 Apr,36(2):165-176.
Rybnícek J. et al. Vet Dermatol 2009;20(2):115–122.
Hill P. B. et al. Vet Dermatol 2007;18(5):301–308.
Olivry T et al. BMC Veterinary Research 2018;14:238
Olivry T et al. Vet Dermatol. 2014 Apr;25(2):77–85, e25.
Unpublished data: JAK selectivity profile report.
Gonzalez AJ et al. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 37, 317--324.
Howell MD, Kuo FI and Smith PA. Front. Immunol 2019;10:2342. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02342.
Zenrelia Summary of Product Characteristics.
Virtanen A, et al. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2023 Nov;75(11):2054-61.
Bonelli M, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2024;83:139-160.
Lin CM, Cooles FA, Isaacs JD. Mediterr J Rheumatol. 2020 Jun 11;31(Suppl 1):100-104.