Tildren Injection, Northwest Equine Veterinary Association

Tildren Injection

Tildren® is a drug that has been one of the main breakthroughs in the treatment of navicular disease in horses.
It has been available in Europe for many years to treat navicular disease, bone spavin (hock arthritis) and other selected boney conditions and has recently become available in the United States to veterinarians who obtain special permission for it’s use. Tildren® has the benefit of being a systemic therapy which can be used to treat multiple sites of osteoarthritis at once instead of the traditional individual intra-articular therapy.
There are many different treatment protocols being utilized with Tildren® but most involve placement of an intravenous catheter and administration of a large amount of the drug as an intravenous drip for about an hour. Generally in 2-4 weeks the benefits are beginning to be realized and the effect lasts for approximately six months but in some cases for much longer. Horses may remain sound longer by giving monthly boosters.
Details on Tildren®’s mode of Action
Tiludronic acid belongs to the bisphosphonate therapeutic class, a class of products with activity on bone metabolism. The main pharmacological property of TILDREN lnjection is to reduce bone resorption by inhibiting the activity of osteoclasts.
TILDREN lnjection acts as a regulator of bone remodelling in all situations involving excessive bone resorption. This regulator effect is not associated with a negative effect on bone formation or bone mineralisation at the recommended therapeutic dosage.
Areas of reduced bone density are a pathological change common to most cases of Navicular Disease and Bone Spavin and are due to inappropriate resorption of bone ("osteolysis"). In double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials for both conditions, TILDREN treatment produced clear improvement as demonstrated by long-term reduction in lameness and progressive resumption of sporting activity.
In another double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial into the treatment of back pain associated with bony lesions of the vertebral column, TILDREN treatment induced a clear improvement in back flexibility, however further research is required to add this indication as a registered claim. Other studies have shown that TILDREN treatment can prevent the bone loss which usually occurs during inactivity in horses, as shown by measurements of bone density in spelling horses.
TILDREN lnjection has also demonstrated anti-arthritic properties in a model of poly-arthritis in rats.  In vitro data identified inhibiting effects on the secretion of enzymes which degrade cartilage matrix.
Indications
Treatment of lameness associated with bone and cartilage changes such as those observed in Navicular Disease and Bone Spavin.