Pronunciation mə-RO-pi-tant ATCvet code QA04AD90 (WHO) | Trade names Cerenia Molar mass 468.67 g/mol | |
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AHFS/Drugs.com International Drug Names Routes of
administration By mouth (tablets) (only dogs); SQ, IV (dogs and cats) Legal status In general: ℞ (Prescription only) | ||
Maropitant (INN, trade name Cerenia sər-EEN-i-uh in the U.S. and other countries), used as maropitant citrate (USAN), is a neurokinin (NK1) receptor antagonist, which was developed by Zoetis specifically for the treatment of motion sickness and vomiting in dogs. It was approved by the FDA in 2007 for use in dogs, and more recently has also been approved for use in cats.
Maropitant also has anti-nociceptive (analgesic) properties. In a 2012 study, parenteral maropitant decreased the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane in a pain-response model. Epidural administration had no effect. It has also been shown to decrease the MAC of sevoflurane in a cat spay and dog spay model. Whether it has analgesic properties in awake animals remains to be proven, but anecdotal evidence indicates that it is being used for analgesia by many veterinarians.