A pooled analysis of the efficacy of monepantel, an amino-acetonitrile derivative against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep

Abstract

Monepantel is the first compound from the amino-acetonitrile derivative class of anthelmintics to be developed for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. An analysis of pooled data from a series of controlled studies is reported providing a single point of efficacy (+/- 95% confidence interval) for each gastrointestinal nematode tested at the fourth larval and/or adult stages. For most nematode species, the pooled efficacy was greater than 99%, and for the remaining few species, efficacy was greater than 90%. These data are well supported by field studies conducted across five countries, where the pooled efficacy (on the basis of fecal worm egg count reduction) was in most cases, greater than 99% (depending on the calculation used). Monepantel is highly effective when administered to sheep at 2.5 mg/kg, and its introduction as a new anthelmintic for sheep is timely, given the problems with anthelmintic resistance that the world's sheep farmers are now experiencing.