Virbac is proud to announce the launch of Vikaly, a breakthrough innovation in the management of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the world’s first 2-in-1 medicated food for cats. Vikaly integrates the pharmaceutical active ingredient benazepril, for the reduction of proteinuria, into a highly palatable clinical renal diet, offering a convenient, effective and cost-conscious solution to improve treatment compliance.
Vikaly is indicated for the nutritional and medical management of chronic kidney disease in adult and senior cats with proteinuria, from IRIS stage 2.
CKD remains the leading cause of mortality in cats over five years old and affects up to 40% of feline patients over the age of ten. Administering daily treatment is recognised as a major issue for CKD cat owners with 45% of owners not administering treatment daily as they should and 51% of owners citing administration difficulties as the reason why.
Vikaly simplifies treatment by integrating benazepril, a trusted ACE inhibitor, directly into a clinical renal diet and delivers the same therapeutic dosage as benazepril tablets (0.5–1 mg/kg bodyweight/day). This eliminates the need to administer medication separately, improving treatment compliance and reducing stress for both cats and their owners.
Nutrition is key to managing uraemia and slowing the progression of CKD in cats and is the foundation of any multimodal treatment approach. Vikaly provides highly palatable clinical renal nutrition with:
- Low phosphorus (0.5% as fed)
- Reduced protein (30% as fed)
- Omega-3 fatty acids (1.2%, including 0.6% EPA & DHA)
- High metabolisable energy (416 kcal/100g)
Due to the pharmacokinetic profile of benazepril, which is incorporated into the kibble, at an equivalent dose Vikaly displays greater ACE inhibition than benazepril tablets. The rate of food consumption also does not affect plasma Benazeprilat levels, ensuring consistent treatment efficacy regardless of the cat’s feeding behaviour. In practice, this means that even if the cat being treated consumes less than 50% of their daily ration, efficacy is maintained with ACE activity similar to that of benazepril tablets.
Benazepril has a wide therapeutic margin, tolerated to 20x the minimum effective dose (10mg/kg) for 52 weeks, with the first signs of toxicity being reduced erythrocytes counts & ovary/oviduct weights. With Vikaly, these levels cannot be reached due to its association with food consumption, which would require a cat to consume more than 10 times their daily ration.
Vikaly empowers veterinary surgeons to offer cat owners a cost-effective, all-in-one solution that eliminates the challenges of administration, removes the risk of missed doses and ensures confident, stress-free prescribing. Available exclusively through veterinary prescription, it also maintains professional oversight and optimal care.
Presented in a 1.5kg bag, which would equate to a 30-day supply for a 4.5kg cat with normal bodyweight, Vikaly can be fed alongside wet food, providing that the cat consumes at least 50% of their daily ration before being given the wet food. The daily ration can also be administered in several smaller meals throughout the day, to accommodate the individual preferences of the cat and to promote consistent food intake.
For more information on Vikaly, or to request a Vikaly vet user guide, please contact your local Virbac Territory Manager or visit us on stand K45 at London Vet Show.
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