Boehringer Ingelheim wins positive EU opinion for equine laminitis treatment

EUROPE – Boehringer Ingelheim has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products (CVMP) for SCOVELLA® (velagliflozin oral solution), bringing the treatment closer to marketing authorisation in the European Union.

The proposed medicine is designed to reduce hyperinsulinaemia in horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), a metabolic condition in which insulin dysregulation increases the risk of laminitis. 

The European Commission will make the final decision on marketing authorisation following the CVMP recommendation.

If approved, SCOVELLA® would be the first medicine authorised in the EU specifically for reducing hyperinsulinaemia and the associated risk of laminitis in horses with EMS.

It would also be the first sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor authorised for horses in the EU.

Laminitis is a painful inflammatory condition affecting the tissues within horses’ hooves and can cause severe pain, disability and, in some cases, euthanasia. 

Boehringer Ingelheim estimates that the condition affects approximately one in five horses, while insulin dysregulation is associated with more than 90% of laminitis cases.

The company cites research indicating that one-third of horses diagnosed with laminitis are euthanised within a year, highlighting the need for treatments that address underlying metabolic risk factors.

“The CVMP’s positive opinion for SCOVELLA® recognises the significant need for new treatments for hyperinsulinaemia, a key underlying driver of laminitis in horses,”

 said Saskia Kley, Global Head of Equine at Boehringer Ingelheim.

She added that the recommendation brings EU horse owners closer to an option designed to reduce hyperinsulinaemia and the associated risk of laminitis.

SCOVELLA® is an oral liquid medication that inhibits glucose reabsorption in the kidneys, reducing circulating insulin levels.

Developed over 15 years of research, the SGLT-2 inhibitor is intended to address insulin dysregulation, a central feature of EMS.

The treatment was approved and introduced in Great Britain earlier in 2026. EU authorisation could expand access to the medicine for horses with EMS across the bloc.

Boehringer Ingelheim said the development reflects its investment in equine health treatments for conditions with significant unmet veterinary needs.

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