Isn’t this very old news? Vets have been using the compounded form of Sucromate for quite some time. It’s only been since last breeding season that they’ve received FDA approval so the price has gone through the roof for what is essentially the same drug that we’ve been using for years :no: Fortunately for breeders, I believe there is another compounded version that is providing the same results at the costs that we were used to paying.
I just put this on the other thread discussing Sucromate Plus.
While it has been clearly demonstrated that antibodies are developed following use of hCG, there is still plenty of debate as to just what effect those antibodies truly have. It has been published that issues of refractoriness typically do not appear until after 2 or 3 consecutive cycles of use - and let’s face it, if one is breeding a mare 3 consecutive cycles with no pregnancy, then there are plenty of other things to worry about as well!!
I will add that all horses are not created equal and that mare is a four-lettered word, so while the above may apply to the majority of mares, there may always be exceptions.
Sucromate Plus is a Deslorelin product new to the USA market in 2011 that uses, I believe, SABER delivery technology (a time-release agent). Sucromate Plus is an FDA-approved product, which means that any compounded Deslorelin product now being marketed by a compounding pharmacy is in all probability being done so illegally. Sucromate Plus has demonstrated reliable results in regard to the timing of ovulation relative to treatment in the face of a follicle >30mm in diameter. It is not however particularly cheap.
Ovuplant was the FDA-approved Deslorelin implant that was formerly available in the USA but which was withdrawn from that market several years ago as a result of prolonged anestrus periods being induced in a significant percentage of mares that received the treatment but did not become pregnant. This issue was mitigated to some extent by the surgical removal of the implant several days after it’s being placed, but this again increased cost and as a result many breeders elected not to use it.
Another ovulation-promoting hormone is now available in the USA. Histrelin. This is available in a biorelease formulation (i.e. time-release - and incidentally developed by the same person that did much of the initial work on Sucromate Plus) and is obtainable from BET Pharmacy in Kentucky. We worked on some of the initial clinical evaluations and have continued to use it in subsequent years and are very pleased with the results. It is somewhat cheaper than Sucromate Plus which is an added bonus.
Thanks Kathy!
