Brand: FLUBENOL ® 1.5% Medicated Premixture
Company: ELANCO
DELIVERY FORM: «feed additives and medicated feeds» for oral administration.
ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S): flubendazole 15 g/kg (equivalent to 1.5%)
CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): benzimidazole
INDICATIONS: SWINE
PARASITES CONTROLLED (spectrum of activity)*
- Mature and immature stages as well as eggs of large roundworms (Ascaris suum), red stomach worms (Hyostrongylus rubidus), nodular worms (Oesophagostomum dentatum), lungworms (Metastrongylus apri,), whipworms (Trichuris suis), threadworms (Strongyloides ransomi, only adults).
* Country-specific differences may apply: read the product label.
RECOMMENDED DOSE*
Standard dosing regime
- Add contents of one 2 kg bag of Flubenol Medicated Premixture (30 g of flubendazole) to at least 5 kg of one of the feed ingredients and mix well.
- Thoroughly mix this premix into remainder of normal ration, making in all one tonne of medicated feed, which can then be fed as mash or pellets. This gives 30 mg flubendazole per kg of finished feed.
Read the product label for specific dosing regimes.
* Country-specific differences may apply: read the product label.
SAFETY
- LD50 (acute oral) in rats: >5000 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
- LD50 (acute dermal) in rats: n.a.
Suspected poisoning? Read the article on flubendazole safety in this site.
Withholding periods (=withdrawal times) in days for meat (country-specific differences may apply: read the product label)
- Meat: 7 days
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:
- Safety for humans
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RESISTANCE PREVENTION
Risk of resistance? LOW
There are a few reports on resistance of Oesophagostomum worms to benzimidazoles, levamisole and pyrantel (mainly in Europe) but so far the problem is much less frequent and severe than in sheep or cattle.
This means that if this product does not achieve the expected efficacy against the mentioned parasites, there is a certain risk that it is 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 in swine:
- Levamisole.
- Macrocyclic lactones (e.g. abamectin, doramectin, ivermectin, etc.).
- Tetrahydropyrimidines (e.g. morantel, pyrantel): effective only against certain gastrointestinal roundworms. Not available in some countries. Resistance to morantel has been reported in some countries.
- Piperazine. Effective only against certain gastrointestinal roundworms (mainly ascarids)
These alternative products may not be available in all countries or may not be effective against all the concerned parasites.
It is highly recommended to periodically check the resistance status of each property performing appropriate tests (e.g. fecal egg counts) under supervision of a veterinary doctor. Such tests are now routinely available for most producers in developed countries.
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 brand/product is marketed: UK and other EU countries
GENERIC BRANDS available? Yes, in some countries, but not too many
Click here to learn more about GENERIC vs. ORIGINAL drugs.
Click here for an overview on the most used antiparasitic feed additives and medicated feeds for livestock and horses.
COMMENTS
FLUBENOL 1% Premix is a classic anthelmintic premix for swine from ELANCO containing generic flubendazole.
Flubendazole is a veteran anthelmintic introduced in the 1970s (by JANSSEN). It has a broad-spectrum of activity against roundworms (gastrointestinal and pulmonary) but is ineffective against kidney worms (Stephanurus dentatus), tapeworms and flukes. Flubendazole also kills eggs of roundworms (ovicidal activity). As all benzimidazoles, flubendazole has no efficacy whatsoever against external parasites (ticks, flies, lice, mites, etc). Among the benzimidazoles flubendazole is quite comparable with mebendazole in terms of efficacy and safety. Flubendazole is moderately used in pig & poultry but rather scarcely in ruminants, horses or pets. It is not used in agriculture.
As all benzimidazoles (as well as other anthelmintics such as levamisole and tetrahydropyrimidines), flubendazole has no residual effect, i.e. it kills the parasites shortly after administration, but as soon as medicated feeding is interrupted it does not significantly protect the animals against re-infestation by infective stages in their environment.
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.