INGELHEIM, Germany -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Boehringer Ingelheim launches Arti-Cell® Forte in Europe for the ‘reduction of mild to moderate recurrent lameness associated with non-septic joint inflammation in horses’.

Equine lameness is truly common and impacts horse performance as well as equine welfare¹. Current treatment is not satisfactory for all cases and there is a clear need for innovation and new treatment options. Hence, the significant interest in treatment beyond symptoms, namely combatting the underlying root cause.

Arti-Cell® Forte is a groundbreaking first-ever approved therapy, developed towards targeting lameness, utilising specifically primed, chondrogenic induced stem cells. Arti-Cell® Forte comes in an ultra-low frozen ready-to-use presentation.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Global Stem cell Technology (GST), that formed a partnership last year, have the same ambition to bring new treatments and solutions to improve animal health; therefore, Arti-Cell® Forte was specifically designed for horses to provide a convenient and long-term² solution for recurrent lameness.

“A quarter of the entire equine population¹ develops osteoarthritis at some point in their life. Priming the cells towards cartilage aids them to deliver the right activities in the affected joint,” says Jan Spaas, CEO of GST. “We are absolutely delighted with our first marketing authorisation from the European Commission and the first stem cell-based product in Animal Health. We are sure that with our partner Boehringer Ingelheim this product will become a game changer in equine health.”

Dr. Erich Schoett, Head of the Global Strategic Business Unit Equine at Boehringer Ingelheim, shares: “We are proud to continue to set new standards of care for horses to optimise their health and well-being in partnership with veterinarians. Early disease detection and early treatment are key to ensure that horses are healthy and live longer, happier lives. Arti-Cell® Forte as the first-ever approved stem cell-based product offers to veterinarians and horse owners a ready-to-use solution to help raising the health and quality of life for horses with mild to moderate recurrent lameness”.

Following the scientific review by the European Medicines Agency² and decision of EU marketing authorisation by the European Commission, Arti-Cell® Forte is now approved as a veterinary medicine for the treatment of equine lameness. It will be available from May and June 2019 onwards in a range of European Countries.

Intended audiences

This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where we do business.