EQUITAK EXCEL MULTIDOSE Liquid Wormer for HORSES - ELANCO (BAYER) - abamectin 0.4% + oxfendazole 20% + praziquantel 5% , macrocyclic lactone + benzimidazole + isoquinoline

Brand: EQUITAK ™ EXCEL MULTIDOSE

Company: ELANCO (BAYER)

FORMULATION: «oral paste» in pre-charged syringes

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S)

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s):

INDICATIONS

HORSES

PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity)

* Country-specific differences may apply: read the product label.

For the treatment and control

  • Large Strongyles: Strongylus vulgaris (adults and arterial larval stages), Strongylus edentatus (both adult and tissue stages), Strongylus equinus (adults) and Triodontophorus spp (adults)
  • Small strongyles: Cyathostomum spp, Cylicocyclus spp, Cylicostephanus spp, Cylicodontophorus spp, Gyalocephalus spp, etc.
  • Pinworms: Oxyuris equi (adult and immature)
  • Ascarids: Parascaris equorum (adult and immature)
  • Hairworms: Trichostrongylus axei (adult)
  • Intestinal Threadworms: Strongyloides westeri (adult)
  • Large Mouth Stomach Worms: Habronema muscae (adult), also skin lesions caused by the cutaneous larvae of Habronema spp and Draschia spp (summer sores)
  • Lungworms: Dictyocaulus arnfieldi (adult and immature)
  • Small strongyles: Cyathostomum spp, Cylicocyclus spp, Cylicostephanus spp, Cylicodontophorus spp, Gyalocephalus spp.
  • Tapeworms: Anoplocephala perfoliata (adult, immature, heads, segments)
  • Bots: Gasterophilus spp (oral and gastric stages)

RECOMMENDED DOSE*

*Can be slightly different in some countries: read the product label!

  • 1 mL product per 20 kg bodyweight, equivalent to 200 mcg abamectin/kg bw, 10 mg/kg oxfendazole and 2.5 mg/kg praziquantel/kg bw.

Read the product label for further details on dosing.

SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats:
    • Abamectin: 10 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
    • Oxfendazole: >6400 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
    • Praziquantel: >2840 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
  • Estimated hazard class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on abamectin safety, oxfendazole safety and/or praziquantel safety in this site.

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

  • MEAT: New Zealand: 63 days
  • MILK: New Zealand: Do not use in animals producing 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? YES

  • Small strongyles (cyathostomes). Tolerance of small strongyles to macrocyclic lactones (e.g. abamectin, ivermectin, moxidectin), manifested as a low but significant worm egg output after treatment (determined after fecal egg counts) is not yet widespread, but has been already reported (e.g. in the UK, Germany, Italy, the USA, and Brazil). In Australia tolerance (expressed as faster recommencing of egg shedding) has been observed. Resistance of small strongyles to benzimidazoles is widespread and frequent, e.g. in Australia, USA, UK and Europe, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, etc. 
  • Parascaris equorum: Resistance to macrocyclic lactones (e.g. ivermectin, moxidectin) has been reported (e.g. in the USA, UK and Australia). Cases of resistance to benzimidazoles have been also reported (e.g. in Australia, the USA). 

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.

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

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

Learn more about resistance and how it develops.

MARKETING

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

  • 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 product is marketed: New Zealand
GENERIC BRANDS available? YES, mainly in Australia and New Zealand, perhaps not with the same composition. This product itself contains generic active ingredients.

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

COMMENTS

This product is a classic oral drench for horses from BAYER (now ELANCO) with abamectin, oxfendazole and praziquantel.

Abamectin, a veteran endectocide introduced in the 1980s (by MSD AgVet → MERIAL), is considered as the "cheap" macrocyclic lactone. It is less potent and more toxic than ivermectin and other macrocyclic lactones but is often "good enough", with a similar spectrum of activity as ivermectin. It is abundantly used in ruminants, much less in pig, poultry and pets. Abamectin is also used in agricultural and hygiene pesticides worldwide. Interestingly abamectin is widely used on livestock and horses in Australia and New Zealand but so far not in the EU (excepting preciselyy this formulation), the USA and Canada. As for other macrocyclic lactones, abamectin has no efficacy whatsoever against tapeworms and flukes.

Most macrocyclic lactones have about two weeks residual effect on horses because they are stored in body fat and progressively released. This, together with the time that worms need to develop inside the horse after infection (pre-patent period) allows to space the treatment intervals to 10 to 12 weeks in year-round control programs in many regions. For other active ingredients that have no residual effect such as fenbendazole, mebendazole, or pyrantel the treatment interval is usually 4 to 6 weeks.

Whereas in ruminants abamectin administered at 200 mcg/kg controls a series of external parasites as well (mites, lice, etc.), such an indication is not approved in most countries in horses: external parasites have to be controlled with ectoparasiticides (e.g. pour-ons, sprays, etc.). 

Oxfendazole is a veteran benzimidazole introduced in the 1970s (by WELLCOME) that is moderately used in livestock and horses, rather scarcely in pets. It is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic effective against roundworms in the gut and the lungs, but not against those in the skin. It is also ineffective against gastric bots (Gasterophilus spp) or whatever external parasites. At the recommended dose it is also ineffective against horse tapeworms (Anoplocephala spp). It is not used in agriculture.

Praziquantel is a veteran anthelmintic introduced in the 1970s (by BAYER). It is highly effective against tapeworms (in horses mainly Anoplocephala spp) but has no efficacy whatsoever against roundworms. It is the anthelmintic most vastly used against tapeworms in horses and pets, used in hundreds of brands. It is hardly used in livestock. It is not used in agriculture.

Oxfendazole and praziquantel have no residual effect, i.e. they kill the parasites after administration but do not protect treated animals against reinfestation.

Thoroughly shaking suspensions before use is crucial for efficacy. If the active ingredient remains in the sediment, a few animals may get most of the active ingredient and will be overdosed, and the large majority will get almost only solvents and will be underdosed.

For an overview and a list of the most used oral drench brands click here.

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.

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