The British Horseracing Board (BHA) has issued a notice stating that they will no longer advise against possession, use or attempted use and administration or attempted administration of injectable omeprazole (Bova UK).
Previously, traces of testosterone, at less than one millionth of the internationally accepted standard for impurities, had been found in a batch of the product last year.
Independent experts confirmed that there could be no adverse effects on equine health or equestrian sport, but BOVA immediately took steps to identify and completely eliminate the excipient ingredient that contained traces of testosterone.
The BOVA product was declared free of testosterone in September 2019 and the product has continued to be used in racehorses in Australia following guidance from Racing NSW, since this time.
Multiple samples of each batch of injectable omeprazole have since been demonstrated to be free of testosterone using a validated and highly sensitive method of analysis before the product is released for sale.
“Long acting injectable omeprazole has become an important treatment option for horses with gastric disease, particularly those affected by glandular gastric disease,” said Dr Mike Hewetson BSc BVSc PhD FHEA DipECEIM MRCVS, the Royal Veterinary College.
In a recent prospective blinded clinical trial of Bova’s long-acting injectable omeprazole, rates of healing for both glandular and squamous gastric disease were four times higher with injectable omeprazole than with a registered oral product.
The published studies on injectable omeprazole can be found here and here.
