Brand: ARI MULTIWORMER Tablets for DOGS & CATS

Company: ARISTOPET


FORMULATION: «tablets» for oral administration; may be chewable, flavored, coated, etc.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S):

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s):


INDICATIONS: DOGS & CATS

PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity):


RECOMMENDED DOSE*:

  • 1 tablet for every 5 kg bw (equivalent to 5 mg/kg levamisole hydrochloride, 100 mg/kg niclosamide). Tablets can be divided.

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


SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats: n.a. for the tablets; 180 mg/kg for levamisole; >5000 mg/kg for niclosamide
  • Estimated Hazard Class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the article on levamisole safety and/or niclosamide safety in this site.

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


RESISTANCE PREVENTION

Risk of resistance development? VERY LOW

There are no reports on resistance of pet roundworms to levamisole nor of tapeworms to niclosamide.

Learn more about resistance and how it develops.


MARKETING

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

  • Levamisole: GENERIC (introduced in the 1960s)
  • Niclosamide: GENERIC (introduced in the 1950s)

*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: AUSTRALIA
GENERIC BRANDS available? YES, in some countries.

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


COMMENTS

ARI MULTIWORMER Tablets for DOGS & CATS from ARISTOPET is a generic wormer effective against roundworms and tapeworms.

Levamisole is a veteran anthelmintic introduced in the 1960s (by JANSSEN). It has a broad-spectrum of activity against roundworms (gastrointestinal and pulmonary) but no efficacy whatsoever against tapeworms and flukes. It is also completely ineffective against external parasites (ticksflies, lice, mites, etc). Nowadays levamisole is scarcely used in pets mainly because of its relatively low safety margin and because there are enough safer and as effective alternatives (e.g. pyrantel, macrocyclic lactones, benzimidazoles, etc.). However it is still used massively in livestock worldwide in countless generic formulations. It still remains one of the most preferred low-cost anthelmintics for livestock worldwide.

Niclosamide is another veteran, narrow-spectrum salicylanilide anthelmintic introduced in the 1950s (by BAYER). It is effective against several tapeworm species (e.g. Taenia spp) and rumen flukes (Paramphistomum spp) of livestock, but not against roundworms or any external parasite. It is scarcely used in pets because praziquantel is mostly preferred. Usage in livestock is marginal.

Levamisole and niclosamide have no residual effect, i.e. they act against the worms during a few hours after administration but are quickly metabolized and excreted. For this reason treatment must often be repeated for certain indications.

For an overview and a list of the most popular pet wormers 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.