SHAWNEE, Kan. Jan. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — In a new comparative
study evaluating the efficacy of four leading heartworm
preventives, only Bayer’s Advantage Multi® for Dogs
(imidacloprid + moxidectin) Topical Solution was 100 percent
effective after a single treatment against the MP3 strain of
Dirofilaria Immitis. The study results were recently
published online in Veterinary Parasitology and will be
presented by Byron Blagburn, MS, PhD, Auburn University at the
North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) in Orlando, Florida on
Tuesday, January 18, 2011.
The blinded, comparative study titled “Comparative efficacy of
four commercially available heartworm preventive products against
the MP3 laboratory strain of Dirofilaria immitis,” tested the
efficacy of four heartworm preventives in dogs infected with the
challenging MP3 heartworm strain of D. Immitis. Results
showed that 100 percent of dogs (8 out of 8) treated with Advantage
Multi® for Dogs remained negative for heartworms, compared with
12 percent of dogs (1 out of 8) in all other treatment groups. The
relevance of this in vivo study has not been demonstrated
for all heartworm strains.
“Members of the veterinary community have expressed concerns
regarding the efficacy of some heartworm preventives, which could
leave dogs susceptible to this potentially fatal disease,” said Dr.
Blagburn. “This study provides compelling information. In
this study involving the MP3 strain, Advantage Multi for Dogs was
the only product that protected all dogs from heartworm
infection.”
Following a protocol that mirrored studies conducted for FDA
heartworm efficacy approval, the study compared the efficacy of
leading preventives including Advantage Multi® for Dogs,
Revolution® (selamectin), Interceptor® (milbemycin oxime)
and Heartgard® Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel pamoate), in addition
to an untreated control group. A total of 40 dogs (5 groups of
8
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