PIGFEN 40 mg/g Granules, Dewormer for PIGS - HUVEPHARMA - fenbendazole 4% - benzimidazole - feed additive

Brand: PIGFEN ® Granules

Company: HUVEPHARMA

DELIVERY FORM: «feed additives and medicated feeds» for oral administration.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S): fenbendazole 40 mg/g (equivalent to 4.0%)

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): benzimidazole

INDICATIONS: PIGS

PARASITES CONTROLLED (spectrum of activity)

Pigs:

RECOMMENDED DOSE*

Pigs:

  • 5 mg fenbendazole per kg bodyweight (12.5 g of the product/100 kg bodyweight) to be administered as a single dose.
  • The product is only intended for the treatment of individual pigs on farms where a small number of pigs are to receive treatment.
  • To be mixed with the daily feed ration

Read the product label for specific detail on dosage.

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

SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats: >10000 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
  • LD50 (acute dermal) in rats: n.a.

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

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

  • Meat: 4 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:

RESISTANCE PREVENTION

Risk of resistance? LOW

There are no reports on resistance of Ascaris suum to benzimidazoles in swine more than 40 years after their introduction for this use.

This means that if this product does not achieve the expected efficacy against the mentioned parasites, it is likely that it is not due to resistance but to incorrect use, which is the most frequent cause of product failure.

However, there are a few reports on resistance of Oesophagostomum worms to benzimidazoles, levamisole and pyrantel in swine (mainly in Europe), but so far the problem is much less frequent than in sheep or cattle. To prevent or at least delay resistance development it is a good practice to periodically alternate anthelmintics (rotation) with different modes of action.

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

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.

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. This product itself contains generic fenbendazole.

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

PIGFEN GRANULES is a brand from HUVEPHARMA (a Bulgarian pharmaceutical company) containing generic fenbendazole.

Fenbendazole is a veteran anthelmintic introduced in the 1970s (by HOECHST, now MSD = MERCK ANIMAL HEALTH). Fenbendazole has a broad-spectrum of activity against roundworms (gastrointestinal and pulmonary) and, depending on the dose also against tapeworms, but is ineffective against flukes. Fenbendazole also kills eggs of roundworms (ovicidal activity). As all benzimidazoles, fenbendazole has no efficacy whatsoever against external parasites (ticks, flies, lice, mites, etc). Among the benzimidazoles fenbendazole is quite comparable with oxfendazole in terms of efficacy and safety. Fenbendazole is abundantly used worldwide in numberless generic brands for livestock, horses and pets.

As all benzimidazoles (as well as other anthelmintics such as levamisole, monepantel, and tetrahydropyrimidines), fenbendazole for oral administrartion 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.

Both for livestock and pets fenbendazole is often used in combinations that broaden the spectrum of activity or try to overcome potential resistance. Typical mixtures for livestock include a flukicide (e.g. closantel, etc.) and/or a macrocyclic lactone, and/or levamisole, although such mixtures are not approved everywhere. For dogs and cats it is often combined with a taenicide (e.g. praziquantel).

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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