FOI - Adverse reaction to Solensia
Published 13 January 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vmd-foieir-requests-october-2025/foi-adverse-reaction-to-solensia
ATI1129 Request
Request for previous reports of ataxia adverse reactions with Solensia.
Our reply
Solensia is a veterinary medicinal product (VMP) used for the alleviation of pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats.
We can confirm that Zoetis have submitted your adverse event report to us, the worldwide case reference is GBR-ZOETISPV-2025-UK-04595.
You requested to know if we have any reports of hindlimb ataxia following use of Solensia.
All adverse events submitted to the VMD have their clinical signs coded using the Veterinary Dictionary for Drug Regulatory Activities (VeDDRA). We have provided you with the number of adverse event reports for Solensia for hind limb ataxia at low level term (LLT), which is one of the hierarchical levels of VeDDRA. Further information regarding VeDDRA can be located on the European Medicines Agency website, including the VeDDRA list of clinical terms for reporting suspected adverse events and the Guidance notes on the use of VeDDRA terminology.
In our database, that holds data from reports occurring in the United Kingdom, there are 19 adverse event reports for Solensia with the LLT hind limb ataxia. This number includes the case you recently reported to Zoetis.
Although adverse event report information can be useful to provide a general overview of a VMP, it is important for any clinical decisions regarding the use of a VMP to be based on a risk-benefit discussion specific to the animal or group of animals being administered the VMP. An overall frequency of an adverse event occurring for a VMP does not reflect the actual risk for an individual animal, as there are many individual factors that may contribute to the likelihood of an adverse event occurring.
All medicines whether for human or animal use come with risk, and the benefits of use in wider populations need to outweigh the potential risks. Information on adverse events that have been known to occur following administration of a particular product are summarised in sections 3.6/4.6 of the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). The SPC is a document describing the properties and the officially approved conditions of use of a medicine. The SPC and associated product information are updated as new information is available, and the latest version of an SPC can be found on our publicly available Product Information Database. We continually assess and update our findings relating to products used within the United Kingdom and should there be sufficient data to suggest that an SPC requires alteration or that another appropriate action is required, this will be carried out within the required timeframe, as set out by the current legislation surrounding that veterinary medicinal product or region.
Pharmacovigilance updates are published on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/urgent-safety-updates-for-veterinary-medicines; this also includes any updates involving non-veterinary medicines used in animals. To receive these pharmacovigilance updates via email, please click on the ‘Get emails about this page’ button. The latest updates on Solensia can be found at Solensia 7 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Cats - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/solensia-7-mgml-solution-for-injection-for-cats).