cyclosporine question

Are cyclosporine (non-modified) and cyclosporine (modified) the same for dogs? My dog has been taking Atopica but because of the high costs, I saw it comes in generic and had my vet call it in to the pharmacy. After I picked it up I realized it’s non-modified and I know Atopica is modified.

Hello!  My understanding is that they are different, and that the modified version has been chemically changed -  improved - to make absorption and uptake of the drug work better - more efficiently - in the canine patient.  This is as far as my understanding goes, but the drug you mention has a good sales team who may be happy to answer questions and if they won't tell you, they will most certainly provide that information to their customers - the vets.

At this point, I also need to tell you about 'the cascade.'  This is a set of rules about the prescribing of drugs and you can read about it here.  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-cascade-prescribing-unauthorised-medicines#about-the-cascade If a drug company wants to bring out an animal medicine, they have to get the product fully tested and developed and get it 'licensed' for animal use.  Atopica, which you mentioned, will have a license for specific uses in the dog and will have been fully tested for purpose.  If one product is licensed and another isn't, the vet is obliged to prescribe that drug over the other - it is, after all, likely to be safer as the risks are known and quantified.  Human drugs, which will not have been tested on dogs for that purpose, are much  'further down' the cascade.  Cost is not seen as a reason for breaking the cascade but a clinical preference e.g. that drug in some particular form is not available on the veterinary market, is.   Prescribing decisions have to be made on a case by case basis by the vet, but the guidelines are very prescriptive.