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EMA committee recommends first stem cell-based veterinary medicine
Arti-cell Forte is recommended for use in horses with mild to moderate lameness related to joint inflammation.
Arti-cell Forte indicated for use in horses with lameness

The first stem cell-based veterinary medicine has been recommended for marketing authorisation in the European Union by The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products (CVMP).

Arti-cell Forte is recommended for use in horses with mild to moderate lameness related to joint inflammation. It is available as a suspension for injection and is given as a single injection into the affected joint.

In a press release, the EMA said the stem cells in the medicine are treated so they develop towards cartilage cells. This can then help to repair damaged cartilage in the joint.

‘In a field study conducted in horses with lameness of the fetlock joint, Arti-Cell Forte showed a statistically significant improvement in the horses treated with the medicine compared with a placebo control group six weeks after treatment,’ the EMA writes. ‘The positive effect of treatment was sustained over one year.’

Common side effects of the medicine reported in the study were mild increase in lameness and injection site reactions in the week following treatment.

The CVMP’s recommendation will now be passed on to the European Commission for a decision on an EU-wide marketing authorisation. 

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

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News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."