Despite the discovery of effective treatments, many cats with FIP in the UK and globally cannot access GS-441524 treatment due to cost, limited licensing, and supply chain issues.
The welfare tragedy of FIP in 2026 is not the disease itself — it is the access gap that means some cats die of a curable disease because their owners cannot afford treatment. A cat dying of FIP when effective treatment exists but is unaffordable represents a preventable welfare failure. The gap between treatment availability and access equity is the outstanding welfare challenge of FIP medicine. Veterinary practices, charities, pharmaceutical companies, and regulators all have roles in closing this gap — through subsidy programmes, lower-cost licensed generics, and compassionate access schemes. The FIP community has demonstrated remarkable creativity in developing peer support and subsidy networks.