Stratum and ESM Technologies announce results from canine joint health study
Multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled canine study confirms NEM brand eggshell membrane is an effective joint treatment for man’s best friend
Stratum Nutrition and joint-venture partner, ESM Technologies, the manufacturer of innovative, commercialised eggshell and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, are pleased to announce a new canine study has published in the journal, Veterinary Medicine: Research & Reports, evaluating their joint health ingredient, NEM brand eggshell membrane.
The 6-week, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at eight different veterinary clinics to evaluate NEM’s efficacy, safety and tolerability in the treatment of suboptimal joint function in dogs.
Fifty one privately owned dogs with mild to moderate persistent suboptimal joint function (difficulty in getting up from a laying position, a noticeable limp, impaired gait, difficulty in climbing stairs, etc.) received either oral NEM, 6mg/lb (~13.5mg/kg) or a placebo once daily for 6 weeks.
Changes in joint function, joint pain and quality of life in the NEM group versus the placebo group were evaluated by both dog owners and veterinarians via either the validated Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) (owner assessment, 1 week and 6 weeks) or Veterinary Canine Scoring Assessments (VCSA) (veterinarian assessments, 6 weeks). Additionally, changes in serum levels of the cartilage degradation biomarker, CTX-II, were also evaluated at 6 weeks.
Results showed that supplementation with NEM significantly reduced joint pain and improved joint function rapidly (CBPI 1-week) and demonstrated a lasting improvement in joint pain (VCSA 6-week) leading to an improved quality of life (CBPI 6-week).
Moreover, a profound chondroprotective effect was demonstrated following 6 weeks of supplementation with NEM (CTX-II). There were also clinically meaningful results from a brief responder analysis, demonstrating that a significant proportion of treated dogs will benefit substantially from NEM® supplementation. The results of this peer-reviewed study were recently published online.
'This canine study on NEM provides further evidence supporting NEM’s ability to modify symptoms of pain, and it provides an alternative to the use of pharmaceuticals which have known detrimental side-effects,' mentioned Kenneth J. Kopp, DVM, the lead veterinarian for the trial.
Kevin J. Ruff, PhD, MBA, CCRP, Senior Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for Stratum Nutrition, also commented on the study: 'With so many dogs suffering from suboptimal joint function, it’s important for dog owners to have safe and effective treatment options such as NEM. It was particularly gratifying to learn of the chondroprotective effect in this study, as we believe this to be the first of its kind in naturally occurring joint disease in dogs.'