Discontinued?

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Someone mentioned that here about a month ago after they had spoken to the people at BCP when ordering a new vial. I don't recall who it was.
carl
 
That article added to my confusion. It looks like its dated today, but the comments on it date back to 2008, which is when it was discontinued before.
 
But you aren't using PZI Vet, are you? If you are using ProZinc or BCP PZI, those are fine.

It may be that they are talking about a new bovine based PZI and that is why they wrote the article?
 
I'm embarrassed to admit that off the top of my head I don't know. The vet had just called it "PZI". :oops:
I'll check when I'm home this evening.
 
i actually don't see a date on the article itself, just on the website. pzi by idexx was discontinued a while ago and is no longer available. the last known batch made and on the market is well expired by now so you shouldn't have it. the only people who might have some are those who would have stockpiled it but in all honesty, i don't think a vet can sell expired insulin. ???

prozinc was made to be it's replacement. for some reason, people started calling it pzi, probably for it's ease of saying it i suppose because it's name is prozinc. not pzi. and in all honesty, the misreferencing of it has led to confusion amongst members if you ask me. especially since it is not a mirror image of the old pzi as one article i just saw calls it.

if you look at prozinc's page, it's name is clearly prozinc. not pzi.
http://www.prozinc.us/how_prozinc_helps.aspx

if you look at what is the discontinued PZI, it clearly is called PZI (damn it was hard to find an image of it still! LOL!)
http://www.rrvp.com/butleranimalhealths ... nsulin.htm

if you have the compounded pzi from bcp pharmacy, then yes, yours would just be called pzi i believe and as far as i know, is not going away.

if by chance you do have prozinc, you might tell your vet that her mistake of calling it pzi caused you some angst and worry about it being discontinued.
 
OK, I did a search for when this was previously discussed.

Avery posted that according to the person she talked to at VPA (veterinary pharmacies of america, which I where I bought Bob's PZI from too):
I've just ordered the U-40 insulin from VPA since that's all they have in stock right now. They may not even get the U-100 back in stock and if they do they said they're going to have to double the price.
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The Pharmacist at VPA told me that the shortage applies to the U-40 as well...they're selling what they have at the old price, but after that they will run up against the same problem, which is they just can't find it. He kept mentioning "the government" being responsible, i.e. "the government has been trying to get it off the market." Some regulation which is keeping the PZI from being made?
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I have noticed that the old VPA site is no longer anywhere to be found. All you get is a front page that says you have to be a vet to see anything further. Here's their phone number in case anybody wants to call them and find out the real story : 1-877-838-7979.
BCP is just another company that makes PZI, from a compounded formula, and it is supposed to be 100% bovine insulin. The old PZI Vet was 80% bovine and 20% porcine, and it was discontinued in 2008. :
This from the IDEXX, the makers of old PZI Vet:
April 8, 2008
Dear Concerned Cat Owner,
Recently there have been some developments regarding the availability of PZI VET® (protamine zinc
insulin), and I wanted to update you on the situation because it may impact your diabetic cat. You
may know that PZI VET is derived from bovine and porcine pancreatic glands, and unfortunately, the
supply of our original raw material has been exhausted. As there are no FDA approved facilities for
harvesting bovine pancreatic tissue, we have determined after extensive study that further
production of animal source insulins is not practical in a modern manufacturing environment.
Therefore, following the sale of our existing inventory, IDEXX will no longer manufacture or sell
any animal-based insulin. We are currently in the process of notifying veterinarians who prescribe
PZI-VET of the situation. As of April 1, 2008, there was a considerable inventory in distribution,
so please consult with your own veterinarian on the best course of action for your cat.
We appreciate that feline diabetes is a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment and
monitoring.
Accordingly, IDEXX remains committed to the treatment of this disease. We are working diligently to
develop and bring to market a new insulin product for the treatment of diabetes in cats.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Cole DVM, PhD, DACVCP
Manager, Professional Services Group
IDEXX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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So apparently, something happened in the months or years before that which made it no longer possible to get pig or cow pancreatic glands. I'm guessing some type of government regulation maybe? Some cow hugger probably, lol.
This from the BCP site:
BCP Veterinary Pharmacy has replicated the discontinued formula for 100% bovine protamine zinc insulin (PZI). With only one amino acid difference occurring at site A18, bovine PZI is the closest match to feline insulin available. Cats can accept this insulin better because it is much more like their own. By comparison, recombinant human insulin is the furthest removed from feline insulin with four amino acid differences, while porcine insulin has three amino acid differences and is structurally closest to canine insulin. The protamine binds to the insulin molecule and slowly releases insulin into the bodily tissue. Most cats can be regulated with only one dose per day, as opposed to the twice-a-day routine many cats require when using synthetic human insulin. Once-a-day insulin injections obviously offer a considerable compliance benefit for pet owners. Veterinarians have reported that there seems to be a smoother regulation of blood glucose curve when using BCP PZI®. This medication is a good choice for cats suspected of having insulin resistance. Some cats, whose condition had previously been difficult to control with other types of insulin, have finally been regulated with BCP PZI®. BCP Veterinary Pharmacy compounds its BCP PZI® with 100% pure bovine insulin crystals that meet all USP monograph specifications and insists upon ongoing analysis to ensure quality control.
BCP PZI® insulin is available in 100u/ml 5ml or 10ml, 50u/ml 10ml & 40u/ml 10ml. 40u syringes are also available for purchase.
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PZI and Prozinc are not the same thing:
PROZINC is a sterile aqueous protamine zinc suspension of recombinant human insulin indicated for the reduction of hyperglycemia and hyperglycemia associated clinical symptoms or signs in cats with diabetes mellitus.1 It is the first FDA-approved protamine zinc insulin for cats.
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How is PROZINC different from other insulin products?
PROZINC is the first and only FDA-approved protamine zinc insulin for cats containing human recombinant insulin. Protamine zinc insulin formulations are classified as long-acting with a typical duration of effect in the cat of 10-14 hours.
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It's human insulin, tweaked to make it act more like bovine insulin so it works like PZI does. It is the only human insulin made especially for use in cats. Lantus and Levemir are human insulins that just happen to work on cats. They aren't made for that purpose. It's the same insulin you would shoot yourself with if you had diabetes. You couldn't, however, shoot yourself with Prozinc, (unless you wanted to start mooing or meowing).

Now the unanswered question is whether or not there is some sort of new government rule or regulation that will cause BCP to stop making PZI. If that is the case, then Prozinc will be the only "P" choice out there (and the forum will need to be renamed)

Hope this helps
 
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