A cure for FIP

For years, cats who developed feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) were either killed or died. The disease had a 100% fatality rate. No more. Colorado State University veterinarians tested an antiviral therapy that has proven 77% effective in treating FIP. While 12% of cats relapsed, all relapsed cats achieved remission after a second higher dose. Importantly, there were no adverse side effects. The oral treatment studied at CSU, molnupiravir (MPV), is the second therapy shown to be effective in treating FIP.

Earlier research indicates that another antiviral, GS-441524, also achieves remission in roughly four out of five cats diagnosed with FIP. In 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took steps that allowed veterinarians to legally prescribe this antiviral in compounded form, a common practice in veterinary medicine for tailoring drugs to individual animals. MPV is now also available through compounding pharmacies.

With multiple treatment options now available, FIP is a treatable disease, and shelters and veterinarians should not be killing cats and kittens who test positive.