Following the ACVIM Cardiology Symposium in March 2010, the US investigators for the EPIC trial held their first meeting. The three international lead investigators, Dr. Sonya Gordon, Professor Adrian Boswood and Professor Jens Häggström, managed an agenda that included discussion about the protocol, study timelines and recruitment strategies.
The QUEST trial confirmed pimobendan as an essential first-line therapy for CHF due to MMVD. Since the conclusion of QUEST, practitioners and cardiologists have expressed a high level of interest in preclinical MMVD treatment and a need to address the topic through research.
“The EPIC trial will definitely answer the question: Does pimobendan delay the onset of clinical signs?," says Lara Sheeley, senior brand manager. The EPIC trial is the largest prospective clinical study ever conducted in dogs with heart disease. EPIC stands for Evaluating Pimobendan In Cardiomegaly. The trial is an international, multicentre study to determine whether chronic oral administration of pimobendan in dogs with evidence of increased heart size can delay the onset of clinical signs of congestive heart failure. The two-year recruitment phase will begin later this summer.
Look for more information about a launch event in December of this year.
The European and Japanese EPIC investigators also held their first meeting in March, in Munich, Germany.
