The world’s first oral product for managing lice in sheep has been registered for use by Australia’s veterinary medicines authority.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), chief executive officer Nicole Hinder said the world first registration was good news for Australian wool growers.
“The APVMA has just completed another world-first registration—and I cannot help but shout it from … the woolsheds.
“It is with great pleasure, and a big nod to the APVMA team, that I can announce that the APVMA has approved a first-of-its-kind oral product containing fluralaner for lice control in sheep. The product is now available to the Australian market,” said Hinder.
This world-first registration controls isoxazoline-susceptible lice (Bovicola ovis), including strains resistant to synthetic pyrethroids and insect growth regulators on sheep and lambs with any length of wool.
Hinder believes this will be a game changer to significantly improving labour efficiency for Australia’s wool growers.
She added:
“To say I am proud of the APVMA team for pulling through on this assessment is an understatement. A world-first approval like this takes a huge amount of work from staff across the APVMA to get a registration like this across the line.
The APVMA considered an application from Intervet Australia Pty Limited for approval of the new product, Fluralaner 10 g/L Lousicide for Sheep, containing 10 mg fluralaner/mL, for oral administration to sheep.
The use of fluralaner on sheep had not previously been registered in Australia. Fluralaner is currently registered for oral administration to chickens via drinking water. Intervet is an MSD Animal Health entity.
Ruminant business unit lead for MSD, Jane Parker said that MSD Animal Health is pleased to confirm the registration of the new product to the Australian sheep market.
She said Fluralaner is Australia’s first oral sheep lice treatment that controls lice in any length of wool.
Parker added:
“We expect that sheep producers will consider this to be an innovative and breakthrough product.”