Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2022 Sep-Oct;12(5):618-621.
doi: 10.5455/OVJ.2022.v12.i5.4. Epub 2022 Sep 6.

Evaluation of the efficacy of transdermal administration of maropitant in managing vomiting in cats

Youcef Boukaache  1 , Marie-Laurence Ferret  1 , Valérie Delteil-Prévotat Karim Khoukh  1 , Andra Enache  1 , Dorothée Iwaszkiw  1 , Sébastien Bertin  1 , Fabien Bruno  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Evaluation of the efficacy of transdermal administration of maropitant in managing vomiting in cats

Youcef Boukaache et al. Open Vet J. 2022 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Background: Antiemetic maropitant is a widely used medication for treating acute and chronic vomiting in cats. It is available as tablets or injectable solution (Cerenia®). With the oral and injectable routes being especially difficult to pursue in cats experiencing vomiting and nausea, the transdermal administration might be an efficient alternative. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the antiemetic effect of maropitant administered via the transdermal route in cats.

Case description: There were 8 cats enrolled in this study, weighing between 2 and 7 kg, more than 6 months old, and experiencing at least 2 episodes of vomiting in the last 72 hours. Compounded transdermal maropitant was prepared using finely ground Cerenia® tablets, dissolved in propylene glycol and incorporated in the commercial liposomal base Pentravan® (Fagron®, Thiais, France). The uniformity of content was determined using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The product was administered at a dosage of 4 mg/cat once a day (QD), applied on the inner pinna of the ear for five consecutive days. Monitoring and evaluation of vomiting frequency and nausea were performed. A significant decrease in vomiting frequency was observed in 6 of the 8 enrolled cats. A reduction in nausea, associated with an improvement of appetite, was observed in some cases.

Conclusion: Transdermal application of maropitant to cats experiencing vomiting seems to be efficient and a good alternative to existing oral medication, taking into account the difficulty of oral administration in these cases. This work provides preliminary clinical results of the efficacy of transdermal maropitant in cats. Further studies are necessary to determine dosing and pharmacokinetics.

Keywords: Cat; Compounding; Maropitant; Transdermal; Vomiting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.. Evolution of the number of vomiting before and after the administration of transdermal maropitant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Animal Hospital Association. Lakewood, CO: American Animal Hospital Association; 2009. Compliance: taking quality care to the next level: a report of the 2009 AAHA compliance follow-up study; pp. 8–17.
    1. Batchelor D.J, Devauchelle P, Elliott J, Elwood C.M, Freiche V, Gualtieri M, Hall E.J, Den Hertog E, Neiger R, Peeters D, Roura X, Savary-Bataille K, German A.J. Mechanisms, causes, investigation and management of vomiting disorders in cats: a literature review. J. Feline Med. Surg. 2013;15(4):237–265. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Benson K.K, Zajic L.B, Morgan P.K, Brown S.R, Hansen R.J, Lunghofer P.J, Wittenburg L.A, Gustafson D.L, Quimby J.M. Drug exposure and clinical effect of transdermal mirtazapine in healthy young cats: a pilot study. J. Feline Med. Surg. 2017;19(10):998–1006. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chávez G, Pardo P, Ubilla M.J, Marín M.P. Effects on behavioural variables of oral versus transdermal buspirone administration in cats displaying urine marking. J. Appl. Anim. Res. 2016;44(1):454–457.
    1. Ciribassi J, Luescher A, Pasloske K.S, Robertson-Plouch C, Zimmerman A, Kaloostian-Whittymore L. Comparative bioavailability of fluoxetine after transdermal and oral administration to healthy cats. Am. J. Vet. Res. 2003;64(8):994–998. - PubMed

Publication types