Landmark Research Heralds New Era in Dog Heart Treatment and Longer Lif...( INGELHEIM Germany September 11 /-...),Health

INGELHEIM, Germany, September 11 /PRNewswire/ --

- For Non-US Healthcare Media

- Global QUEST Study Reveals Dogs With Congestive Heart Failure Have Significantly Improved Survival Outcomes With Vetmedin(R) (pimobendan)

Veterinarians and dog owners are today welcoming new research that delivers the promise of an extended happy life together for millions of dog owners and their pets. The three-year study demonstrates that dogs suffering from the most common type of heart failure live on average 91% (267 days vs. 140 days) longer when treated with the product Vetmedin(R) (pimobendan) compared with another common treatment option(1).

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/boehringeringelheim/34774/

Results from the QUEST (Quality of Life and Extension of Survival Time) study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, mark a significant milestone in canine cardiac health. Experts report that 25% of all small to medium-sized dogs over the age of seven are likely to suffer from heart disease at some point in their life(2), and 75% of those cases are caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD)(3), sometimes known as "valvular insufficiency" or "endocardiosis".

Adrian Boswood from the Royal Veterinary College, London, a Veterinary Cardiology Specialist and a lead-investigator on the study, explains that the independent QUEST trial set out to explore the impact on survival of Vetmedin(R) versus another current treatment, benazepril hydrochloride, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor.

"With QUEST demonstrating that dogs treated with Vetmedin(R) live on average nearly twice as long as those on benazepril(1), it is now time for us as veterinary cardiologists and practising veterinarians to look again at how we are treating our patients suffering f
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