A Review of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for Food-Producing Animals With a Focus on Potential Applications...

In finfish aquaculture, there are several inflammatory diseases impacting productivity and animal welfare, however there are limited options available to veterinarians to treat inflammation and pain in fish. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used in terrestrial animals raised for human consumption to treat a range of diseases and to manage pre- and postoperative pain as they offer anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic properties. This review examines the use of NSAIDs in terrestrial food animals with the pharmacological and safety learnings to the possible use in aquaculture, specifically for oral administration of farmed salmonids. Across Norway, United Kingdom and Australia, which are salmon producing regions burdened by inflammatory disorders such as complex gill disease, seven NSAIDs are authorised for use in terrestrial food-producing animals. The NSAIDs considered in this review have a good safety profile for users and the targeted terrestrial animal species, but more research is needed to develop safe and effective treatment regimens for farmed fish. Some NSAIDs have been shown to reduce pain sensitivity in fish but there is no published data demonstrating that they reduce inflammation. However, the targeted immune pathways of NSAIDs appear conserved between fish and terrestrial animals so it is highly likely that NSAIDs will have anti-inflammatory effects in fish if they can be delivered effectively through in-feed treatments. This review informs prescribing fish veterinarians and fish health professionals, as well as researchers, national licensing authorities and other stakeholders, to assist with consideration of the use and potential applications of the NSAIDs in finfish aquaculture.