Brand: DROCIT ®

Company: ELANCO (BAYER)


FORMULATION: «tablets» for oral administration; may be chewable, flavored, coated, etc, depending on the country

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S): PRAZIQUANTEL

  • USA and other countries: 23 mg/tablet
  • UK and other countries: 50 mg/tablet

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): ISOQUINOLINE


INDICATIONS: DOGS and CATS (in some countries only available for dogs)

PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity):

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


RECOMMENDED DOSE*:

USA and other countries (23 mg/tablet)

  • Cats 4 lbs. ≈ <1.8 kg bw: ½ tablet (equivalent to 6.4 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Cats 5 to 11 lbs. 2.2 to 5 kg bw: 1 tablet (equivalent to 10.5 to 4.6 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Cats 11 lbs. ≈ >5 kg bw: 1½ tablets (equivalent to <6.4 mg/kg praziquantel)

UK and other countries: (50 mg/tablet)

  • Dogs 2.5 to 5 kg bw: ½ tablet (equivalent to 10.0 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs 6 to 10 kg bw: 1 tablet (equivalent to 8.3 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs 11 to 20 kg bw: 1½ tablets (equivalent to 9.1 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs 21 to 30 kg bw: 2 tablets (equivalent to 7.1 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs >30 kg bw: pro rata
  • Adult cats: ½ tablet

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


SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats: n.a. for the tablets. 2840 mg/kg for praziquantel
  • Estimated Hazard Class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the article on praziquantel safety in this site.

Never use on cats tablets approved only for use on dogs, and vice-versa. Never use on small dogs tablets approved for large dogs. Learn more about tablets and their safety.

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? NO

There are no reports on resistance of tapeworms to praziquantel more than 30 years after its introduction and intensive use.

Learn more about resistance and how it develops.


MARKETING

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

  • Praziquantel: GENERIC (introduced in the 1970s)

*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: worldwide, including the USA, the EU, Australia, etc.
GENERIC BRANDS available? YES, in some countries.

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


COMMENTS

DRONCIT is BAYERS's original and classic drug against tapeworms for cats and dogs with praziquantel. This product has been in the market for more than 30 years. In some countries it is no more available for dogs.

Praziquantel is a veteran isoquinoline anthelmintic introduced in the 1970s (by BAYER). It is still the most effective and most vastly used parasiticide against tapeworms. Praziquantel is effective against tapeworms (Dipylidium caninumTaenia pisiformis, Echinococcus granulosusEchinococcus multilocularis) but has no efficacy whatsoever against roundworms, hookworms or whipworms. It is the anthelmintic most vastly used against tapeworms on pets. There are hundreds of antiparasitic brands for pets containing praziquantel.

BAYER marketed in many countries a pyrantel + praziquantel tablet for cats against roundworms and tapeworms under the trade name DRONTAL, and a febantel + praziquantel + febantel tablet for dogs against roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms under the trade name DRONTAL PLUS.

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.