FDA Approves First Oral Treatment for Canine Lymphoma

Cancer. It’s the word we all dread to hear. For dogs diagnosed with lymphosarcoma (malignant lymphoma), the treatment options have been limited, but thanks to an international specialist in veterinary pharmaceuticals, Dechra, there is now one more FDA-approved drug, and this one comes in the form of a tablet.

Laverdia®-CA1 is the brand name for the drug Verdinexor, which hit the veterinary market with conditional approval in 2021. Since that time, annual reviews of efficacy and safety have resulted in this breakthrough medication being officially greenlit by the FDA in January 2026. Laverdia is in the Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) class of drugs, which have demonstrated the ability to induce tumor death by suppressing nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), and although it is still classified as a cytotoxic drug, its more targeted mode of action means that it has the benefits of fewer side effects, and can be safely administered at home, provided precautions are taken.

Prior to the development of Laverdia, the treatment of canine lymphoma generally fell into one of two camps: steroids or chemotherapy.

Prednisolone - Wonderful and Terrible

Although the corticosteroid prednisolone sometimes forms part of a multidrug chemotherapy formula, this inexpensive and widely available medication is sometimes referred to as a wonderful and terrible drug. Its broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory and white cell inhibition effects are used to treat myriad conditions in pets and humans, including pruritus (itchy skin), allergies, auto-immune disorders, and, of course, certain types of cancer.

They are wonderful because they are cheap, have a rapid onset of effects, and can be used for so many different conditions.

They are terrible because that wide range of effects goes hand-in-hand with a list of significant side effects, both short-term and long-term.

In the fight against canine lymphoma, prednisolone can rapidly alleviate immediate clinical signs like swollen lymph nodes, fever, and inappetence, but those effects are short-lived, with most dogs succumbing to the disease within one to two months.

Chemotherapy

For pet parents with good insurance or ample savings, there are a number of different chemotherapy protocols that may be used.

Chemotherapy, which technically simply means chemical therapy, uses various cytotoxic drugs, either singly or in combination with other medications. The aim is to find the drug or combination of drugs that will be the most efficient at destroying your dog’s cancer cells, whilst minimizing the side effects these toxic chemicals have on the body.

For humans, chemotherapy can be almost as devastating as the disease itself, with high doses used in the hopes of achieving a complete cure. For dogs, such doses would be tantamount to cruelty and torture, so remission is usually the best we can hope for.

Around 90% of canine lymphoma patients will respond to chemotherapy, with many of those achieving a good quality of life for periods of six months or more.,1 Of course, these results come at a considerable cost, with treatment often exceeding $10,000, and patients requiring very strict handling and waste disposal protocols at home to limit the risks of exposure to cytotoxic agents.

How Does Laverdia Measure Up?

When considering the steroid vs. chemotherapy comparison, Laverdia sits somewhere in between in both efficacy, ease of administration, and cost.

As a selectively cytotoxic drug, it is infinitely more targeted than prednisolone and may be even more targeted than traditional chemotherapy, meaning that the side effects, including gastrointestinal upset and raised liver enzymes, are much lower than those seen with chemotherapy.

Although not quite at the bargain-basement level of prednisolone, at around $200 per month, Laverdia is definitely going to be more affordable than traditional chemotherapy, especially when you factor in that your dog won’t need to spend the day in the hospital to receive their treatment. With an average survival time of around three months and 30% of patients surviving up to 9 months,2 Laverdia may not pack quite the same punch as chemotherapy, but for many dog parents out there, it may offer a very realistic and affordable way to extend the amount of time they have with their pet.

Feature Image Credit: AnnaStills, Shutterstock

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