New Study Confirms NEM Eggshell Membrane as Effective Canine Joint Treatment

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Stratum Nutrition and their joint-venture partner, ESM Technologies, manufacturer of commercialized eggshell and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, announced the publication of a new canine study evaluating their joint health ingredient, NEM brand eggshell membrane. The study was published in the Veterinary Medicine: Research & Reports journal.

According to a press release from the companies, the six-week multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at eight different veterinary clinics to evaluate NEM’s efficacy, safety and tolerability in the treatment of sub-optimal joint function in dogs. Fifty-one privately-owned dogs having mild to moderate persistent sub-optimal joint function (e.g. difficulty in getting up from a laying position, a noticeable limp, impaired gait, difficulty in climbing stairs, etc.) received either oral NEM, 6 mg/lb. (~13.5 mg/kg) or placebo once daily for the duration of the study.

Stratum and ESM report that changes in joint function, joint pain and quality of life in the NEM group versus the placebo group were evaluated by both dog owners and veterinarians via either the validated Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) (owner assessment, 1 week & 6 weeks) or Veterinary Canine Scoring Assessments (VCSA) (veterinarian assessments, 6 weeks). Additionally, changes in serum levels of the cartilage degradation biomarker, CTX-II, were also evaluated at 6 weeks.

The companies announced the results showed that supplementation with NEM significantly reduced joint pain and improved joint function rapidly (CBPI 1-week) and demonstrated a lasting improvement in joint pain (VCSA 6-week) leading to an improved quality of life (CBPI 6-week). Moreover, a profound chondro-protective effect was demonstrated following 6 weeks of supplementation with NEM (CTX-II).

There were also clinically meaningful results from a brief responder analysis, demonstrating that a significant proportion of treated dogs will benefit substantially from NEM supplementation. The results of this peer-reviewed study were recently published online and can be found here.

“This canine study on NEM provides further evidence supporting NEM’s ability to modify symptoms of pain, and it provides an alternative to the use of pharmaceuticals which have known detrimental side effects,” said Kenneth J. Kopp, DVM, lead veterinarian for the trial.

Kevin J. Ruff Ph.D., MBA, CCRP and Sr. Director of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for Stratum Nutrition also commented on the study in the press release.

“With so many dogs suffering from sub-optimal joint function, it’s important for dog-owners to have safe and effective treatment options like NEM,” he said. “It was particularly gratifying to learn of the chondro-protective effect in this study, as we believe this to be the first of its kind in naturally-occurring joint disease in dogs.”

For more information about this published study on NEM, visit StratumNutrition.com.