People are increasingly seeking high-quality veterinary care for their pets. Dogs develop cancer at about the same rate as humans, and the disease accounts for nearly half of all deaths in pets over 10 years of age^[1,8]. Cats are affected by cancer to a slightly lesser extent than dogs, but it remains one of the most common causes of death in older cats. However, the availability of suitable and usable drugs for treating cancer in dogs and cats is very limited.

Vivesto’s veterinary oncology product candidates, Paccal Vet dog and Paccal Vet cat, use the drug delivery platform XR-17 to facilitate the administration of intravenously delivered paclitaxel without the use of solvents. Solvents, such as cremophor, or medicinal products dissolved in human albumin, may cause adverse effects in treated animals. These effects can be so severe that they either completely prevent or limit the use of paclitaxel in veterinary medicine.

The company sees positive synergistic effects between the development of human and veterinary medicines. Development of Paccal Vet is based on the previously approved human drug Apealea, enabling the reuse of preclinical data and therefore shortening time to market, along with insights from previous studies of Paccal Vet in dogs that have yielded important safety and efficacy data.

Recruitment is ongoing for a clinical pilot study with Paccal Vet dog focusing on hemangiosarcoma (HSA) in the spleen after splenectomy. Recruitment is also ongoing for a clinical dose-finding study in cats with solid tumors.

Veterinary Oncology Market

The pet market is growing in both the U.S. and Europe in line with increasing pet ownership. According to the World Animal Foundation (WAF), in 2025, 94 million households (71%) in the U.S. own at least one pet, compared to 86.9 million (66%) in 2023/2024. In Europe, an estimated 166 million households (50%) have at least one pet^[2].

There are approximately 90 million dogs in the U.S. and 106 million in Europe. The number of cats is estimated at 74 million in the U.S. and 129 million in Europe^[2,3]. In China, the number of dogs and cats is estimated at 54 million and 53 million, respectively ^[4,5].

An estimated 6 million dogs in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year, and 1 in 4 dogs are estimated to get cancer in their lifetime^[6]. The number of cats in the US diagnosed with cancer is also estimated to be around 6 million each year^[7] and 1 in 5 cats are estimated to get cancer in their lifetime.

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the veterinary pharmaceuticals market is projected to reach $25 billion by 2030^[10], and Grand View Research estimates the animal cancer treatment market will grow to $2.5 billion by 2030, with a projected annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3%.

Currently, there are very few approved drugs for treating cancer in dogs, and none for cats, highlighting a significant unmet need. Vivesto believes that if approved, Paccal Vet could address a substantial market for companion animal cancer treatment in the U.S. and Europe.

^{[1] AVMA, https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/cancer-pets
[2] WAF, https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/pet-ownership-statistics/
[3] AVMA, https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics
[4] https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/dog-population-by-country
[5] https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cat-population-by-country
[6]  AAHA, https://www.aaha.org/resources/canine-cancer/
[7] PETMD, https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/cancer/cancer-cats
[8] FDA. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/my-dog-has-cancer-what-do-i-need-know
[9] Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-insurance-cost/
[10] FDA Bloomberg Intelligence’s Pet Economy Report}