A new prescribed option for high insulin: what it does and does not replace

The facts

Product

Scovella, from Boehringer Ingelheim

What it is

An oral liquid, the first equine-specific SGLT-2 inhibitor licensed in Great Britain for high insulin

Availability

Through veterinary practices in England, Scotland and Wales from September 2026; authorised in April

Trial result

Of 49 high-risk ponies, none on the treatment developed laminitis, against 38% of the untreated group

Scale of problem

The company links insulin dysregulation to over 90% of laminitis cases

Insulin dysregulation is the metabolic fault behind most laminitis. Until now, owners and vets have managed it with soaked hay, restricted grazing, weight loss and exercise, and hoped that was enough. A licensed drug aimed directly at lowering insulin changes what a vet can offer when all that has been done properly and the numbers are still wrong.

The evidence put forward is a controlled preventative study in 49 ponies judged to be at high risk. None of the treated ponies went on to develop laminitis. In the untreated group, 38% did. Laminitis was confirmed by X-ray and by specialists assessing video, and the study was testing prevention of diet-induced laminitis rather than rescue of a horse already in trouble. The company says the product sits on more than 14 years of horse-specific work on safety, dosing and field trials.

Professor Andy Durham of Liphook Equine Hospital, a European specialist in equine internal medicine, described the arrival of a therapy developed and approved for horses as a significant step, given how few options have existed for a condition that does so much welfare damage.

The important limit is in the licence itself. This is for animals that have not responded to changes in feeding, management and workload. It is not a licence to relax the grazing muzzle or the weighbridge. If your horse has never had its insulin measured, that blood test is the first step, not the prescription.

What this means for you

Owners of a horse or pony with diagnosed EMS or a laminitis history

There is now something your vet can prescribe if diet and exercise changes have not brought insulin down. Book a review and ask whether retesting is worthwhile.

Owners of a good-doer who has never been tested

Nothing changes yet. You need a diagnosis and a blood insulin result before any of this is relevant to you.

Anyone hoping to skip the hard management

The licence specifically covers cases where management has already been tried and has not worked. Soaked hay, restricted grass and controlled weight still come first.

Yard owners and Pony Club families with laminitis-prone natives

Autumn grass is a known risk period. Use this news as a prompt to get insulin testing booked rather than waiting for a lame pony.

What to do

1. Ask your vet whether your horse's insulin has ever been measured, and when it was last checked

   At your next visit or routine call

2. If your horse is on a weight-loss and management plan, write down honestly what you have actually been doing. Your vet needs that before considering any medication

   Before the appointment

3. Keep autumn grazing controlled and monitor digital pulses daily on any horse with a laminitis history

   Through autumn 2026

4. Ask about cost, monitoring and how long treatment would be expected to continue before you commit

   Before starting anything

5. Check whether your insurance treats an ongoing metabolic prescription as a chronic condition exclusion

   Before your next renewal