On September 2, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to Merial, maker of the Vet Jet transdermal injection device used to deliver Merial’s Purevax Recombinant Feline Leukemia Vaccine. It does not work for any other type of feline leukemia vaccine. Three cats received unusual femur injuries thought to be caused by improper insertion of the device by veterinarians.
But the veterinarians were following Merial’s instructions. The instructions do not mention in detail about how to lock the nozzle of the device. If the nozzle does not lock into place, it can enter into the cat’s skin. Merial is sending a letter to all cat owners with the device in order to warn them to check for any leg injuries. They are also rewriting their “Instructions for Use” to veterinarians in order to address this concern.
What is Vet Jet?
Released in 2005, Vet Jet was designed to administer Purevax Recombinant Feline Leukemia Vaccine not via a needle, but through a spring that creates a hole about the diameter of a human hair. It then disperses the vaccine like a spray under the skin layer or dermis. This area contains many dendritic cells, used by the immune system to help destroy invading cells.
The injector vaguely resembles the hypospray seen on Star Trek. The injector is made by a separate company, Biojet, Inc. Unlike other feline leukemia vaccines, Merial’s Purevax is not made with aluminum, used as an adjuvant to help the body absorb the vaccine. Because of the aluminum, cats have a slight chance of developing vaccine-assisted sarcomas.
About Feline Leukemia or FeLV
Once called “AIDS for cats”, feline leukemia virus disease complex can kill cats. In the late 1970s, my family lost our beloved black cat Pepper to this disease, which was not yet named. Although many cats can live for years with this disease, Pepper died days after first showing symptoms. There are a wide variety of symptoms, but Pepper developed such a bad respiratory infection that he could not lie down because it hurt his lungs too much. He stopped eating and became anemic. Other symptoms include fever, pale gums, diarrhea and seizures.
It is imperative that all cats be inoculated against feline leukemia to avoid Pepper’s fate. Feral cats and kittens are especially at risk. Pepper, a stray we took in, died when he was less than 2 years old.
What If I Think There Is A Problem?
In two of the three cats injured, two were injured during the vaccination administration procedure. If your cat gets lame soon after innoculation, has strange leg swellings or seems otherwise unwell, please take the cat to a vet immediately for a diagnosis. Owners or veterinarians can contact Merial for more information or lodge complaints or go to the FDA’s website to fill out FORM FDA-1932a.
References
DVM 360: “FDA issues warning over device used for feline leukemia injections.” September 6, 2011. http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/FDA-issues-warning-over-device-used-for-feline-leu/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/738621?contextCategoryId=378
About.com: “FDA Warns of Possible Danger with Biojet ‘Vet Jet’.” Franny Syufy. September 2, 2011.
Author’s personal experience