Boehringer Ingelheim piglet castration product approved in EU

Boehringer Ingelheim product Metacam (Meloxicam), which is indicated as a painkiller for piglets following castration, has been approved for marketing in the EU.

A study conducted by French research institute the CTPA found that Metacam administered to piglets less than a week old at a ratio of 0.4 mg per kilogram of body weight had a noticeable impact on their blood cortisol levels.

This is a biochemical marker for the neuro-endocrine reaction of the body to pain and stress.

Additionally, the trial indicated that Metacam alleviates clinical symptoms and prompts a faster return to normal behaviour in piglets in comparison to animals which were not administered any pain-killing products.

Dr Joachim Hasenmaier, head of animal health at Boehringer Ingelheim, commented: “In many EU markets, changing attitudes […] require or recommend the use of analgesia to help piglets to better cope with pain and to more quickly recover from the castration procedure.”

As well as operating in the consumer healthcare and prescription medicines markets, Boehringer Ingelheim’s animal care operations incorporate the areas of biologicals, pharmaceuticals and natural care.