Molidustat is a drug which acts as an

HIF prolyl-hydroxylase inhibitor Not to be confused with '' Factor Inhibiting HIF Asparaginyl Hydroxylase Inhibitors'' Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase Inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) also known as hypoxia-inducible factor stabilizers (HIF stabilizers) are members of a mostl ...

and thereby increases endogenous production of erythropoietin, which stimulates production of

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyt ...

and

red blood cell Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...

s. It is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...

caused by chronic kidney disease. Due to its potential applications in

athletic doping In competitive sports, doping is the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs by athletic competitors as a way of cheating in sports. The term ''doping'' is widely used by organizations that regulate sporting competitions. The use of ...

, it has also been incorporated into screens for

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

Veterinary use

Molidustat is

indicated In medicine, an indication is a valid reason to use a certain test, medication, procedure, or surgery. There can be multiple indications to use a procedure or medication. An indication can commonly be confused with the term diagnosis. A diagnosis ...

for the control of nonregenerative anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in cats.https://animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/app/search/public/document/downloadFoi/13903 The US

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

(FDA) conditionally approved it in May 2023. The reasonable expectation of effectiveness of Molidustat was evaluated in a study conducted in two phases. The first phase involved a multi-center, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled field effectiveness and safety study. The second phase was an unmasked, optional continuation of the field study. The study enrolled 23 cats from 4 to 17 years of age from various breeds or breed mixes diagnosed with nonregenerative anemia associated with CKD. The FDA granted conditional approval of Varenzin-CA1 to Elanco US Inc.

References

Cat medications Pyrimidines 4-Morpholinyl compunds Pyrazolones Triazoles {{blood-drug-stub