Brand: FASIMEC ® DUO

Company: ELANCO


FORMULATION: «drench» for oral administration.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S):

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s):


INDICATIONS: SHEEP


PARASITES CONTROLLED (spectrum of activity)


RECOMMENDED DOSE


SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats:
    • ivermectin: 50 mg/kg
    • triclabendazole: >5000 mg/kg
  • LD50 (acute dermal) in rats:
    • ivermectin: >600 mg/kg
    • triclabendazole: >4000 mg/kg 
  • Estimated hazard class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on ivermectin safety and triclabendazole safety in this site.

Withholding periods (=withdrawal times) in days for meat & milk (country-specific differences may apply: read the product label)

  • Meat: UK 27 days
  • Milk for human consumption: UK Not authorised for use in ewes producing milk for human consumption including during the dry period. Do not use within 1 year prior to the first lambing in ewes intended to produce milk for human consumption.

WARNING !!!: Never use on humans, dogs or cats

You may be interested in the following articles in this site dealing with the general safety of veterinary products:


RESISTANCE PREVENTION

Risk of resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms to macrocyclic lactones (incl. ivermectin): YES, resistance in ruminants is a very serious and increasing problem worldwide, particularly in sheep and goats. The most affected worm species are: Haemonchus spp, Ostertagia spp /Teladorsagia spp, Trichostrongylus spp, Nematodirus spp, Chabertia ovina.

Resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms to macrocyclic lactones in sheep, goats has been reported in numerous countries. Based on the very abundant and frequent use of ivermectin and other macrocyclic lactones in livestock (with more-or-less cross-resistance to ivermectin) it must be assumed that resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms to this chemical class will continue spreading and strengthening in the future.

Alternative chemical classes/active ingredients to prevent resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms through product rotation:

Risk of resistance of Fasciola hepatica to triclabendazole: YES. Resistance of liver flukes to triclabendazole (and albendazole) in sheep was already discovered in the mid 1990's in Australia. Since then it has been reported in several other countries (e.g. New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Spain, Argentina), also in cattle (e.g. Australia, The Netherlands, Argentina). However, the incidence so far is not that serious as for roundworm resistance to benzimidazoles and other nematicides. Nevertheless, in certain regions products with triclabendazole may not protect livestock adequately against liver flukes.

Alternative chemical classes/active ingredients to prevent resistance of liver flukes through product rotation:

These alternative products may not be available in all countries, or may not be available as drenches.

This means that if this product does not achieve the expected efficacy against the mentioned parasites, it may be due to resistance and not to incorrect use, which is usually the most frequent cause of product failure.

Learn more about resistance and how it develops.


MARKETING

Are the active ingredients of this product ORIGINAL* or GENERICS**?

*Meaning that they are still patent protected and generics are not yet available
**Meaning that they have lost patent protection and may be acquired from manufacturers of generic active ingredients other than the holder of the original patent.

COUNTRIES where this brand/product is marketed: UK, Ireland + EU countries
GENERIC BRANDS available? Yes, a few ones, but not in all countries in this particular composition

Click here to learn more about GENERIC vs. ORIGINAL drugs.

For an overview on the most used antiparasitic pour-on brands click here.


COMMENTS

FASIMEC DUO for Cattle from ELANCO is one of the numerous combinations of "endectocide + flukicide" for simultaneously controlling roundworms, flukes and some external parasites in cattle.

Ivermectin was the first macrocyclic lactone introduced in the market in the early 1980s (by MSD Agvet, later MERIAL). It was a milestone and a tremendous progress that revolutionized the control of veterinary parasites. Nowadays there are thousands of brands with generic ivermectin worldwide. It is effective against most species of roundworms that affect cattle and against many external parasites (mainly lice, mites, buffalo flies, etc.), but not against tapeworms or flukes. It has a systemic mode of action, i.e. it is absorbed into the blood of the treated animals. It is massively used in livestock and horses, less in pets. It is also used as a human medicine and in agriculture.

Triclabendazole is a narrow-spectrum benzimidazole introduced in the 1970s (by CIBA-GEIGY). It has no efficacy against roundworms or tapeworms. However it was and remains the only flukicide effective against adults as well as all immature stages of liver flukes, which are the most damaging stages due to their destructive migration through the liver tissues. For this reason it has been for decades and still remains the most widely used livestock flukicide worldwide. It is ineffectivy against any external parasites (ticksflies, lice, mites, etc) of livestock. It is abundantly used in ruminants, but not in other livestock, horses or pets. It is also used in human medicines. It is not used in agriculture.

The combination of ivermectin and triclabendazole makes sense because it extends the spectrum of activity of both active ingredients.

Because it is effective against all stages of immature flukes, triclabendazole is appropriate for treating acute fascioliasis caused my massive infections with fluke larvae migrating through the liver.

As all benzimidazoles (and many other anthelmintics such as levamisole, monepantel, and tetrahydropyrimidines), triclabendazole administered as a drench has no residual effect, i.e. it kills the parasites shortly after administration, but does not significantly protect the animals against re-infestation by infective stages in their environment.

In ruminants, reducing the amount of feed slows down the exit flow of the rumen and prolongs the time during which the active ingredient remains there and is absorbed. Consequently it is advisable to reduce the access of animals to feed (especially to fresh pasture, not to water) 24 hours before administration. For the same reason, it is better to keep the animals away from food for about 6 hours after drenching. However sick or weak animals should not be kept away from food and fasting animals should have access to water.

Click here for general information on good practices for the prevention and control of gastrointestinal worms in livestock.


DISCLAIMER

This article IS NOT A PRODUCT LABEL. It offers complementary information that may be useful to veterinary professionals and users that are not familiar with veterinary antiparasitics. 

Information offered in this article has been extracted from publications issued by manufacturers, government agencies (e.g. EMEA, FDA, USDA, etc.) or in the scientific literature. No guarantee is given on its accuracy, integrity, sufficiency, actuality and opportunity, and any liability is denied. Read the site's DISCLAIMER.

In case of doubt contact the manufacturer or a veterinary professional.