Now fleas and ticks do a little ’dance of death’

Ever since Merial’s flea and tick blockbuster Frontline went off patent four years ago, the flea and tick category has been in a state of intense competition.  Several other fipronil-based products have made a splash, gnawing away at Frontline’s market share.  While Merial has managed to force the withdrawal of some formulations, citing infringement on patents the company still holds, others have made inroads, including products from Sergeant’s (FiproGuard and Pronyl), Novartis (Parastar and EasySpot), Virbac (Effipro and Effitix), FidoPharm (PetArmor) and Hartz (First Defense).

Meanwhile other flea/tick treatments have seen success, such as Elanco’s chewable Trifexis, and Bayer’s new flea collar Seresto. 

In January, Merial began shipping its answer to the erosion of Frontline sales - NexGard.  Unlike the topical Frontline, NexGard comes as a beef-flavored chewable, which NexGard’s website claims is “the flea and tick killer dogs are begging for.”  The new product’s main ingredient is afoxolaner, which kills fleas by over-stimulating their nervous system, causing them to rise to the surface of the dog’s coat and dance around.  “We call it the ‘dance of death,” said Merial’s Lauren Olavessen at the January 2014 North American Veterinary Conference (as reported by DVM360 Magazine).

You can find out more about the dynamic flea and tick market, plus the rest of the ever-changing pet med industry, in Packaged Facts’ new report Pet Medications in the U.S, 3rd Edition.

Add Pet Medications in the U.S, 3rd Edition to your own intelligence library and receive a 5% discount during our promotional period effective through April 1, 2014. Use code PF5085814.