Zoetis Inc.’s new flea and tick fighter, Simparica, has won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use in dogs at least 6 months old. Simparica (sarolaner) Chewables received European Commission endorsement in November as an approved killer of four common European ticks and two types of fleas. The U.S. formulation is indicated for use against adult fleas, flea infestations and the Lone Star, Gulf Coast, American and brown dog ticks. The preventive’s U.S. release is planned for March, Zoetis announced Thursday. “Simparica is exciting for two reasons: It acts fast to kill fleas and ticks, and it maintains its efficacy all month long,” said Chris Adolph, DVM, Dipl. ACVM, a veterinary specialist with Zoetis. “Simparica kills fleas before they can reproduce and create a home infestation, and it kills ticks fast.” Zoetis, based in Florham Park, N.J., is marketing the monthly preventive as a faster killer of fleas and ticks compared with competitor Merial Ltd.’s NexGard. Zoetis cited a comparative study. While NexGard contains the active ingredient afoxolaner, Simparica uses sarolaner, a new Zoetis-developed ectoparasiticide in the isoxazoline class. Research into Simparica included field safety and efficacy testing involving more than 900 dogs, Zoetis reported. The most frequently reported adverse reactions were vomiting and diarrhea, the company stated. The tablets are liver flavored and come in weight-determined dosages of 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 and 120 milligrams. Find out Simparica came into production in the video below. brightcove.createExperiences();
