Frontline Plus, the popular flea and tick spot-on from Merial Ltd., has new competition. Virbac Corp. this week launched EctoAdvance Plus, which contains the same active ingredients—the insecticide fipronil and the insect growth regulator S-methoprene—that are found in Frontline Plus. Virbac did not release price information but stated that EctoAdvance Plus is a cost-effective alternative to Frontline Plus. “We feel that EctoAdvance Plus will allow veterinarians … to offer effective flea and tick protection for dogs and cats at a much better value to their clients,” said Robert Daily, vice president of marketing for Virbac’s U.S. operations in Fort Worth, Texas. Like Frontline Plus, EctoAdvance Plus is indicated as a monthly treatment to kill fleas, flea eggs and flea larvae as well as ticks and biting lice on dogs and cats. Virbac is manufacturing EctoAdvance Plus under a license from Meridian Animal Health of Omaha, Neb., which sold a similar topical medication, EctoAdvance, until running into patent issues in 2011. EctoAdvance Plus will be sold exclusively through the veterinary channel, a company spokesman said. Frontline Plus is supposed to be purchased from veterinarians but is found on retail shelves, according to critics, because some practitioners sell their stock to the secondary market. Merial does not endorse diversionary actions. EctoAdvance Plus comes in dog or cat formulations and in three- and six-count packages. Feline users must weigh more than 1.5 pounds. The canine drug is available for weights of 4 to 22, 23 to 44, 45 to 88 and 89 to 132 pounds.
