The Cure For FIP: GS441 ("GS")

Prior to February 2019, feline infectious peritonitis was a guaranteed death sentence to cats. Thanks to a lifetime of dedication and devotion, Dr Niels Pedersen of UC Davis discovered the cure for FIP: the nucleoside analog GS-441524, also referred to as “GS”.

How GS441 Cures FIP

If a cat’s immune system is healthy and mature, the white blood cells should fight off an infection or virus, and allow the cat to build up an immune response, or antibodies. Cats who develop FIP have an immune defect or deficiency that causes the white blood cells to replicate, rather than fight, the virus. Essentially, the cats immune system is spreading the virus throughout the cat’s body rather than trying to eliminate it. Cats who have no immune response develop wet FIP, while cats who have a partial immune response develop dry FIP.

The nucleoside analog GS-441524 is a molecular precursor to a pharmacologically active nucleoside triphosphate molecule. These analogs act as an alternative substrate and RNA-chain terminator of viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase. In layman’s terms, GS441 interjects itself into the chain reaction and stops the replication of the virus.

Course of GS441 Treatment

Dr Pedersen’s case study determined that a successful course of treatment with GS441 is 12 weeks, administered daily. Some owners have stopped treating once blood work and diagnostics returned to normal; however, the few cats who did relapse were among those who stopped prior to the 12 week protocol. Because the course of treatment is both emotionally and financially taxing, most owners currently using GS opt to pursue the full 12 weeks, to ensure the highest probability of success. Cats who undergo the full 12 weeks and remain symptom-free for 90 days following conclusion of treatment are officially cured of FIP.

GS441 comes in both injectable form, and as of June 2019, a pill form. Both are administered daily and the dose is based on the weight of the cat.

For wet & dry FIP without neurological or ocular symptoms, the recommended dosage is 5mg (GS) x weight (kg) / GS concentration per 1mL = dose per 24 hr.
Neurological and Ocular FIP cats require 7mg/kg MINIMUM, and can go as high as 10mg/kg for extreme ocular or neurological cases.

A dosing calculator can be found here.

It is important to note that the dosage should not be reduced during the course of treatment, regardless of how well the cat is responding. Conversely, if the cat is not responding to the starting dosage, it is safe to increase. It is also crucial to check the cat’s weight often, and adjust the daily dose accordingly.

The only known side effect of GS441 is skin lesions or burns, due to the acidity of the solution (injectable form). For this reason, it is recommended to always clean the cat’s skin after giving an injection. Many owners also opt to give oral CBD oil or Hemp oil 30-60 minutes before injecting, to help minimize the stress. Topical lidocaine (without aloe) can also be used to help numb the injection site, but should be cleaned off immediately after the injection.

Supplemental Care When Using GS441 to Cure FIP

In general, unless the cat has a secondary or underlying condition besides FIP, all prescription medications can be stopped once treatment with GS begins. However, it is important to protect the cat’s liver during GS treatment. If treating FIP with GS411, it is recommended to give your cat either Denamin or Silymarin to provide maximum liver support.

I am sure if you have a cat with FIP you have skimmed through all the information above and are looking at where to buy GS441. Now here is the problem, at the moment it is not licensed anywhere in the world for the use on animals or humans and the only place you can purchase it is a chemical company in China, so basically on the Black Market. Both Diane (Dr Addie) and Dr Pederson do not agree with cat owners purchasing this way. However Dr Pederson as made the following statement along with the attached letter circulated amongst veterinary practitioners.

“There is a desperate need for these drugs, but the demand has gotten way ahead of the procedures necessary to bring them safely and economically to the market place. It takes 2-7 years to get approvals and market a drug after it is researched in Western countries and the worldwide problems with FIP are only getting worse. This is especially true in advancing countries where the demand for purebred kittens has gone through the roof and the conditions favoring FIP have gone with it. GC376 is being illegally produced in China and sold through subsidiaries in Europe and US. GS-441524 (EV0984) is also being produced illegally in China but has just recently started to appear on the market. Manufacturers and secondary suppliers state that these drugs are to be used for research purposes only and not for use veterinary or human applications but are well-aware of their great demand and willingness of many cat owners to pay a high price. Many owners are paying $25K or more for enough drug to treat their cat for at least 12 weeks. We have no idea of the purity or biological activity of these black-market compounds and veterinarians have no experience with preparing them for treatment or using them to treat cats with FIP. I believe that it is unethical for veterinarians to use drugs obtained in this manner for their patients, even though they are purchased by the owners. Therefore, owners and veterinarians using such drugs should be aware of possible consequences arising from the use of illegal and unapproved drugs.”

Statement Update June 2019

June 18,2019

A number of entities, largely in China, are manufacturing GS-441524 (GS) and GC374 (GC) for sale mainly to desperate owners of cats with FIP. Some of this synthesis is by non-veterinarians and some with direct or indirect participation of people having veterinary or human health backgrounds. People in China have a great problem with FIP due to their increasing ability to keep and afford pets. There is a particularly high demand for expensive pedigreed kittens, which are at increased risk for FIP. Therefore, the Chinese interest in drugs like GS-441524 (GS) and G376 (GC) is not entirely financial and opportunistic. Although their first effort was centered around GC, the emphasis of this black market has rapidly shifted to GS. Although this sort of marketing and use of GS and GC is technically illegal, the companies holding patents on GC and GS have no effective means to halt this black market use. Reputable drug companies that are offering GS and GC usually include a disclaimer limiting their use to research purposes only and not for human or veterinary treatments. This disclaimer, when given, has no enforcement power to owners and is being largely ignored. Drugs offered by individuals are often packaged and labelled as dietary supplements, which allows easier entry through customs control of other countries. Fortunately, this mislabeled drug usually contains accurate information on the drug concentration, e.g., 15 or 16.5 mg/ml. The recommended dosage of GS for cats with nonneurological FIP is 4 mg/kg, SC, once a day, for 12 weeks. Cats with neurological FIP may require a progressively higher dosage of 5-10 mg/kg.

Veterinarians, who are under more legal and ethical constraints, may view the black market quite differently from owners of cats suffering from FIP. Some may refuse to participate beyond making the initial diagnosis of FIP, some may help with drug administration and monitoring as long as the owners provide the drug, and some may require signed waivers freeing them of any legal or ethical obligations. I respect whatever course of action veterinarians might take in interpreting their personal oaths to "use their scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge."

We already know the problems of involving black market drugs in human medicine. Although the suppliers indicate that they are highly pure, there is no testing for biological activity (i.e., antiviral effect). We already know that GC and GS are being made by an increasing number of individuals and that the quality on a mg/kg or molar dosage may vary. We also know that the price of GC and GS can also vary greatly and that owners can expect to pay many thousands of dollars for enough drug to complete a treatment.

Purchasing sufficient drug, and soon enough to be of help, is only the first step. The drug may be purchased in a powder form, which requires more than average knowledge to successfully convert to a stable and injectable form. In response to this problem, most suppliers are now offering GC or GS in a pre-diluted form. An oral form of GS-441524 has been recently produced in China and is also beginning to appear on the market. The chemical modifications to allow for oral absorption are well known from HIV/AIDS and HCV drug development. Nonetheless, owners and veterinarians that purchase GS or GC on the black market, usually at a very high price, would normally expect some sort of information from the supplier as to biological (antiviral) activity on a molar basis, diluent used, and information on storage conditions and shelf-life. If the anti-viral activity is the same as the drugs described in research publications, the published information can be directly applied. If they are not, then published information will not apply. Remember, it is very much "buyer beware" in such situations.

Information on where and how to obtain GC376 and GS-441524 is easily found on social websites. These websites have evolved from cat owner groups who have personal experience with FIP and the black market treatment. Although some advice on FIP and how to use these drugs is provided by Chinese sellers, many claiming to have veterinary connections, cat owner groups have been of much greater assistance. We now know that hundreds, if not thousands, of cats around the world are now being successfully treated for FIP using black market obtained drugs. These favorable responses appear to confirm our own published research on both GC376 and GS-441524. Owner groups have become very adept, based on personal experiences, in identifying the most biologically active and economic sources of GC and GS.

It is also critical that the diagnosis of FIP be as strong as possible, as the disease is still frequently mis-diagnosed. Therefore, it is hoped that owners have access to the veterinary expertise required to correctly diagnose FIP and to oversee a treatment with this level of emotional involvement, length, cost, and monitoring. Information on how to administer these drugs have been provided in the form of published scientific publications cited in our supplement on "FIP treatment." There is still a lack of knowledge of how to properly treat cats with the neurological and ocular/neurological forms of FIP. GC and GS penetrate into the brain with some difficulty, which is explained in a second supplement on "Neurological FIP." The only way to increase drug levels in the brain is to increase the blood level by using higher and higher dosage regimens. It does appear that higher dosages, especially with GS, can lead to complete or near complete remission of clinical signs. Nonetheless, it is still uncertain whether every cat with neurological FIP can be cured. Because of these facts, cats with FIP and neurological involvement should be approached with far more caution than other forms of FIP. We are also aware of the potential problem of drug resistance that is either present at the time of initial treatment or that develops during the course of treatment. We observed primary drug resistance in 1 in 20 cats treated with GC376 and 1 in 31 cats treated with GS-441524. Therefore, drug resistance should always be considered in any cat that fails to rapidly respond to initial treatment or that suffers a relapse of clinical signs after a period of positive response. Although it has not been adequately researched, it is reasonable to assume that resistance to one drug will not apply to the other drugs, as their mechanisms of virus inhibition are entirely different.

I will continue to provide as much advice as possible for owners and veterinarians using and contemplating the use of black-market GS and GC to treat cats with FIP. Fortunately, extremely active and knowledgeable owner groups have developed in several countries and are serving as a major conduit between owners and GS and GC suppliers. These groups are active on social media forums and desperate owners have been able to access them with relative ease and receive timely and critical help.

I must make it clear that I would have preferred these drugs to be approved and commercialized in the normal manner. I am certain that this will happen within the next few years, and as it does, the black market demand for drugs like GS and GC will wane. In the meantime, UC Davis will continue to research new antiviral drugs for diseases like FIP and to share our findings in the conventional manner of peer-reviewed research publications. Our obligations are only to assure owners and veterinarians that our published findings are accurate, reproducible, and applicable.
http://www.catvirus.com/downloads/Dr.%20Pedersen%20Statement%20on%20GS%20and%20GC.pdf

If you do wish to proceed in purchasing it on the blackmarket Migaloo Bengals takes no responsibility and we do NOT recommend this especially without a very knowledgeable vet by your side, the product can be purchased at:
DC Chemicals sales@dcchemicals.com
The cost at the time of writing (2019) is: 650 USD/10mg, 1100 USD/25mg, 2700 USD/100mg; 3500 USD / 600mg; 4300 USD / 1 gram

Glixxlabs - sales@glixxlabs.com - There have been a number of complaints about the time it takes for the stock to arrive from Glixxlab

If you hear of any other places please let us know and we will add them to the list.

To Learn more about the trials of the GS441 and see the complete recovery of Luna the Savannah from FIP have a look at the links below.
https://pethelpful.com/cats/Hope-for-Feline-Infectious-Peritonitis-aka-FIP-Lunas-Story