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  Discussion on EquioxxPrevicox
Author Message
New Member:
bcdoc

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 - 3:23 pm:

Hello, I am new to this forum and am very interested in any new updates about use of Equioxx versus Previcox. My 14 yr. old gelding has very arthritic hocks that my vet has injected several times (with ethel alcohol). Apparently, the hocks are close to fusing. My vet has prescribed Equioxx for pain management and recommends that my gelding take it for an extended period of time (3+ months). At $10. a tube per day, I cannot afford this treatment regimen for long.I was very excited to read the posts in January '08 about the use of Previcox and the vast difference in cost. However, I don't seem to find any updates since Jan. Any information/advice will be greatly appreciated! Bonnie D.
New Member:
chance48

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 - 9:31 pm:

Hi Bonnie,
So glad to have you join the discussion of Equioxx/firocoxib/Previcox. I own a boarding stable with about 40 horses. We have been using Previcox for 4 horses with arthritic hocks and have had very good results. Of course the results vary with the severity of the arthritis but all of the horses have shown significant improvement in their comfort and movement with the Previcox. I try to manage the medication so that they have a couple of days here and there without medication. 3 of the horses have been on the medication for six months with no ill effects so far. I have also used the Previcox shorter term for a few cases of horses with injuries and it has been very effective in controlling pain.
As I mentioned before, I buy the 227 mg. tablets and cut them into quarters. I will often place the piece of pill into a slice of apple and feed it by hand to be sure that it actually gets into the horse.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 - 6:36 am:

Hello Bonnie,
I continue to recommend Previcox over the more expensive Equioxx (this is no longer true, see the clarification in the PS below) for those willing to take the small chance that the difference in formulation is somehow significant from a pharmacological or toxic standpoint. Results have been good.
DrO
PS Since writing the above I have found out there is a rule in the federal regulations Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA) that states:
An animal drug may be used in an extralabel manner only if no approved animal drug containing the active ingredient needed is available in the required dosage form labeled for the indication.

Therefore my earlier statement need correction. It is against federal regulations for a veterinarian to prescribe or dispense the product Previcox®, labeled for use only in dogs, for use in horses because there is already a FDA-approved drug for use in horses (Equioxx®).

Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 - 9:24 am:

Hi Bonnie,

I use Previcox (57mg dachsund tab) in place of Equioxx, and I certainly see a result from the Previcox. I have one horse that, like yours, had a trial on Equioxx before I switched to Previcox.

In my opinion, her soundness is comparable on the cheaper drug, but there are other factors (improving weather, possibly improving fitness etc.) so that's not science.

Good luck! That paste is quite obscenely expensive.
New Member:
bcdoc

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 - 11:59 am:

Many thanks for the helpful replies. I will speak with my vet, and hopefully he will be willing to prescribe the Previcox. This is a wonderful discussion group! Bonnie
New Member:
bcdoc

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 4:13 pm:

Update: I have now had my horse "Apache" on the Previcox for 4 months. I give him 1/2 of the 227 mg tab , daily for 3 weeks, then stop for 10 days ( a fellow boarder was given those instructions by her vet when she began giving the Previcox to her mare The results have been amazing with my gelding...although xrays show little progress toward his arthritic hocks fusing; he is almost completely pain free on the P. I have asked my vet about the 'half-life" of the Previcox....but he doesn't seem to know (!!?). Because I only ride Apache a few times a week for maybe 45 minutes, I thought I could perhaps give him the med only when I plan to ride, instead of 7 days a week for 3 weeks. Does anyone know the half-life of the drug? I'd be very interested to hear updates from anyone else whose horse has been on the Previcox for awhile. Many thanks! Bonnie
P.S. Do the hocks ever actually fuse?? I've been hoping that will happen for Apache for the past 4 years, but both hocks are only partially fused. I may not live long enough to see it happen!! (I'm 57 y.o.!) B.}
New Member:
bcdoc

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 4:15 pm:

**** correction: I give Apache 1/4 of the 227 tab. Bonnie
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 4:38 pm:

Hi Bonnie,

My vet says the loading period of Previcox is 3 days, but I'm not sure whether there are studies to support that, or whether it's just her hunch based on experience. I do know people who use it on riding days and think it helps. The USEF drug rules would seem to suggest 24 hours for blood levels (which doesn't speak to effectiveness, just testing limits).

I used 57 mg/day for several months on my mare with low ringbone on her LF-- it was quite helpful, and she was lame without it. She has now been sound without it and in heavy work (on soft footing) for about 6 weeks. I think the Previcox gave us a training window to get her balanced back on her haunches enough to come sound in work. Or, it's a great big coincidence!
Member:
digger89

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 11:00 pm:

I have been using Previcox (1/4 of the 227 mg tablet)for about 14 months for my horse with severe navicular disease. He was still in pain with 2 grams of bute daily but since switching to Previcox his is usually pasture sound. Skipping even one dose leaves him head-bobbing lame at the walk. We have already done everything else possible for him (nerving, eggbars with wedges, injections, etc) so this has literally been a life-saver for him. I know his end is coming closer but meanwhile he still plays in the pasture and loves treats and attention. It definitely has made the difference for his quality of life.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 - 9:51 am:

Hello Bonnie,
Off the top of my head I don't know either however plasma 1/2 life in NSAID's are not great indicators of efficacy. They all seem to work long after blood levels have gotten low. It is important when they are used over long periods with respect to toxicity. So going to the medical database I find this very recent report:

Am J Vet Res. 2008 Nov;69(11):1399-405. Links
Pharmacokinetics of firocoxib after administration of multiple consecutive daily doses to horses.Letendre LT, Tessman RK, McClure SR, Kvaternick VJ, Fischer JB, Hanson PD.
Merial Ltd, 3239 Satellite Blvd, Duluth, GA 30096, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To determine pharmacokinetic parameters and variables, firocoxib concentrations in urine and plasma, urine-to-plasma ratios, and the urine depletion profile of firocoxib and to evaluate whether the pharmacokinetic behavior of firocoxib was governed by linear processes after multiple doses of firocoxib were administered IV and orally. ANIMALS: 6 healthy female horses (5 Paint horses and 1 Quarter Horse) in experiment 1 and 12 healthy male and female horses in experiment 2. PROCEDURES: In experiment 1, 6 horses were orally administered firocoxib paste once daily for 12 consecutive days, and plasma and urine samples were obtained and analyzed. In a second experiment, 12 horses received IV injections of firocoxib solution once daily for 9 consecutive days, and plasma was obtained and analyzed. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD clearance and steady-state volume of distribution of firocoxib were 40.5 +/- 14.7 mL/h/kg and 2.3 +/- 0.7 L/kg, respectively. Mean half-life was 44.2 +/- 21.6 hours and 36.5 +/- 9.5 hours for IV and oral administration, respectively. The urine concentration- time curve decreased in parallel with the plasma concentration-verus-time curve. Renal clearance (0.26 +/- 0.09 mL/kg/h) was low, compared with total body clearance, which indicated that the main route of elimination was hepatic clearance. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The pharmacokinetics of firocoxib during prolonged use were determined. Use of plasma or urine to ascertain drug concentrations in horses is scientifically valid because the plasma-to-urine ratio was consistent over time and among horses.

Wow 25 to 45 hours half life. This suggests to me that after the loading dose, long term use might be effective at every other day or even every third day in some horses. The lesson here is anytime you use long term NSAID dosing, after you achieve a effect you should taper the dosing down to the lowest effective regimen.
DrO
New Member:
conniem

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009 - 9:46 am:

is Previcox exactly the same as Equioxx?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 7:21 am:

Welcome Connie,
No they are not the same. Previcox is a tablet labeled for dogs while Equioxx is a paste labeled for horses. Both contain the NSAID firocoxib.
DrO
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