Brand: DROCIT ® SPOT-ON

Company: ELANCO (BAYER)


FORMULATION: «spot-on» for topical administration

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S): PRAZIQUANTEL 40 mg/mL (=4%), 20 mg per pipette of 0,5 mL

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): ISOQUINOLINE


INDICATIONS: CATS

PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity):

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


RECOMMENDED DOSE*: min. of 8.0 mg/kg praziquantel, = 1 tube per 2.5 kg bw

  • Cats 1 to 2.5  kg  2.2 to 5.5 lbs. bw: 1 pipette, equivalent to 20.0 to 8.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Cats >2.5 to 5 kg ≈ >5.5 to 11 lbs. bw: 2 pipettes, equivalent to 16.0 to 8.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Cats >5 kg ≈ >11 lbs bw: 3 pipettes, equivalent to <12.0 mg/kg praziquantel)

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


SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats: n.a. for the spot-on. 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: EU, and other countries
GENERIC BRANDS available? NO, in most countries.

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


COMMENTS

DRONCIT SPOT-ON is an original spot-on from BAYER against tapeworms for cats with praziquantel. Praziquantel is mostly used in the form of tablets or suspensions for oral administration; this is one of the very few products where it is used as a topical spot-on.

Praziquantel is a veteran isoquinoline anthelmintic introduced in the 1970s (by BAYER). It is effective against most tapeworms that infect cats (e.g. Dipylidium caninum, Taenia sppEchinococcus multilocularis) but has no efficacy whatsoever against roundworms or hookworms. There are hundreds of antiparasitic brands for pets containing praziquantel, but rather few as a spot-on.

Praziquantel has no residual effect, i.e. it acts against the worms during a few hours after administration but is quickly metabolized and excreted. For this reason treatment must often be repeated for certain indications. 

BAYER marketed praziquantel also as tablets (DRONCIT) and as an injectable (DRONCIT INJECTABLE), as well as tablets with pyrantel + praziquantel for cats against roundworms and tapeworms (DRONTAL), and tablets with febantel + praziquantel + febantel for dogs against roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms (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.