Merial today announced the U.S. launch of Zactran, an antimicrobial used to treat bovine respiratory (BRD) disease. Zactran is available by prescription only and was specifically developed to treat BRD associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle, as well as to control respiratory disease in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle at high risk of developing BRD associated with M.haemolytica and P. multocida. Two key features of the product, officials said, are its response time and duration of efficacy. Zactran provides response in 24 hours and has a 10-day duration of efficacy in a single dose, according to Merial. “BRD causes between $800 to $900 million annually in economic losses from death, reduced feed efficiency and treatment costs,” said Bruce Nosky, DVM, manager of Merial’s Large Animal Veterinary Services. “Given the significant impact of BRD, veterinarians need cattle to respond quickly to treatment.” Company officials said it began shipping the product, which comes in 100mL, 250mL and 500mL bottle sizes, to veterinarian distributors this week. They will announce specific pricing to veterinarians, who will price it accordingly to their clients. The price will be competitive with other BRD antimicrobial products on the market, according to the company. Zactran has been available in Canada since 2010 and Europe since 2008. <Home>
