Abstract
BackgroundA spot-on formulation containing fluralaner (280 mg/ml) plus moxidectin (14 mg/ml) (Bravecto® Plus) has been developed to provide broad spectrum parasite protection for cats. The effectiveness and safety of this product against ticks and fleas was assessed in a randomized, controlled, 12-week study in client-owned cats in Germany and Spain.MethodsEligible households containing at least one cat with at least two fleas and/or two ticks were allocated randomly in a 2:1 ratio to a single treatment with fluralaner plus moxidectin on Day 0, or three 4-weekly treatments with fipronil (Frontline®). Veterinary staff, masked to treatment, completed tick and flea counts on each cat at 14 ± 2 (2 weeks), 28 ± 2 (4 weeks), 56 ± 2 (8 weeks) and 84 ± 2 days (12 weeks) after the initial treatment.ResultsIn total, 707 cats (257 with ticks) from 332 households (236 with fleas) were included. Ixodes ricinus (78%) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex (18%) ticks were the most commonly identified. Tick and flea counts were lower in the fluralaner plus moxidectin group than in the fipronil group throughout the study and the efficacy of fluralaner plus moxidectin exceeded 97 and 98%, respectively. At 12 weeks, 94.1 and 93.3% of cats from the fluralaner plus moxidectin and 92.2 and 60.3% of cats from the fipronil group were free of ticks and fleas, respectively. Fluralaner plus moxidectin was non-inferior to fipronil (P < 0.0001) at all assessments and superior to fipronil at 2 and 8 weeks for the proportion of cats free of ticks (P < 0.0001). Fluralaner plus moxidectin was superior to fipronil for the proportion of both households and cats free of fleas (P < 0.0001). Both products were safe and well tolerated.ConclusionsA single application of fluralaner plus moxidectin spot-on was well tolerated by cats and highly effective for 12 weeks against ticks and fleas. Fluralaner plus moxidectin was non-inferior to fipronil for the proportion of ectoparasite-free and consistently superior to fipronil in controlling fleas.
Highlights
A spot-on formulation containing fluralaner (280 mg/ml) plus moxidectin (14 mg/ml) (Bravecto® Plus) has been developed to provide broad spectrum parasite protection for cats
There was more than one cat in approximately 60% of households in each group, 14 and 16% of cats in the fluralaner plus moxidectin and fipronil groups, respectively, were reported as inside cats, and 79 and 73% of cats, respectively, were reported by owners to spend time both inside and outside
For the Per protocol (PP) population at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks, the geometric mean flea count reductions in the fluralaner plus moxidectin group were at least 98.9% while in the fipronil group these reductions were at least 86.3%, and exceeded 90% on only one occasion, two weeks following the first treatment (Table 2, Fig 2)
Summary
A spot-on formulation containing fluralaner (280 mg/ml) plus moxidectin (14 mg/ml) (Bravecto® Plus) has been developed to provide broad spectrum parasite protection for cats. The effectiveness and safety of this product against ticks and fleas was assessed in a randomized, controlled, 12-week study in client-owned cats in Germany and Spain. The prevalence of flea infestations in cats is generally higher than that of ticks [1]. There is a dearth of information on feline tick infestations. The most common genera of ticks that are found on cats are Ixodes spp. and Rhipicephalus spp. [2, 3], but the overall prevalence of tick infestations is likely underestimated since they may go unnoticed, unless attached to prominent sites on a cat’s head, or be removed by grooming behaviour. A recent survey in Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Spain confirmed tick and/or flea infestation in 16.7% of 1519 client-owned cats [1]. Co-infection with gastrointestinal nematodes (most commonly Toxocara cati) was found to be common (11.9%)
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