Elanco launches Recuvyra™ for four days of pain control in a single dose

Elanco Companion Animal Health is further demonstrating its investment in the development of innovative products with the launch of Recuvyra™ 50mg/ml transdermal solution for dogs, the first transdermal fentanyl solution to be licensed for the control of postoperative pain associated with major orthopaedic and soft tissue surgery.

Providing four days of opioid pain control in a single dose, Recuvyra is a schedule two controlled drug which contains fentanyl, a pure μ-agonist synthetic opioid with a potency 100 times that of morphine.  Applied to the area between the shoulder blades by a unique needleless two-pronged adaptor two to four hours prior to surgery, Recuvyra provides at least four days of opioid analgesia, which is mainly due to the activation of the μ-opioid receptors inhibiting the perception of pain and the transmission of pain signals in the spinal cord and dorsal horn.

Recuvyra is the first veterinary product to make use of the innovative Medistend™ technology.  Recuvyra’s unique formulation provides long-lasting analgesia by rapidly establishing a depot of fentanyl within the stratum corneum. The fentanyl in this depot undergoes passive diffusion down a concentration gradient, and is steadily released into the general circulation over a number of days.

“Fentanyl is widely used in human health and its powerful analgesic properties are well known amongst veterinary surgeons,” comments Ed Whittle MA VetMB MRCVS, technical consultant at Elanco Companion Animal Health.

“Recuvyra is a ground-breaking veterinary product that will provide long-acting post-operative pain control in dogs while reducing the need for repeated, invasive administration of analgesics in the practice and improved client compliance and the potential for mutimodal analgesia once a dog returns home.”

To ensure proper use of Recuvyra, Elanco has produced a mandatory online training programme for veterinary surgeons to complete before ordering the product. The brief online training module, which can be viewed at www.recuvyratraining.eu, features information on the presentation, correct preparation and administration of the product, and the safe handling of patients that have been treated with Recuvyra. Once veterinary surgeons are trained, it is their responsibility to train their staff on the in-practice use of Recuvyra and Elanco has produced an informative training presentation to help educate veterinary professionals on the product.

To support the launch of Recuvyra, Elanco has produced a dosing calculator, cage cards and client information sheet.

For further information on Recuvyra, please contact your Elanco Companion Animal Health key account manager or email elancocah.uk@elanco.com.