Brand: BIONIC Hi Mineral Combination Capsules

Company: BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM (MERIAL)


DELIVERY FORM: controlled release capsule for oral administration.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S):

  • Abamectin
    • Sheep capsules: 160 mg per capsule
    • Lamb capsues: 80 mg per capsule
  • Albendazole
    • Sheep capsules: 4.62 g per capsule
    • Lamb capsules: 2.31 g per capsule
  • Minerals without anthelmintic efficacy:
    • Sheep capsules: 24 mg Selenium & 120 mg Cobalt
    • Lamb capsules:  12 mg Selenium & 60 mg Cobalt

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s):


INDICATIONS: SHEEP & LAMBS


PARASITES CONTROLLED (spectrum of activity)

For the treatment and 100 day control of sensitive strains of gastrointestinal roundworms and lungworms in sheep.


RECOMMENDED DOSE*

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

  • 1 sheep capsule per animal weighing 40 to 80 kg. 2 capsules for animals over 80 kg.
  • 1 lamb capsule per animal weighing 20 to 40 kg.

Read the product label for further details on dosing.


SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats:
    • Abamectin: 10 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
    • Albendazole: 2400 mg/kg (for the a.i.)

Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on abamectin safety and albendazole safety in this site.

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

  • Meat: New Zealand 128 days
  • Milk for human consumption: New Zealand: Milk intended for sale for human consumption mus be discarded for 128 days following the last treatment.

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? YES

Unfortunately, resistance of several gastrointestinal roundworms to abamectin (and other macrocyclic lactones) and albendazole (and other benzimidazoles) is already very high and very frequent worldwide in sheep and goats. Double resistance (i.e. simultaneous) to two this two chemical classes is not unusual.

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

It is generally accepted that the use of mixtures of active ingredients with different modes of action can delay the appearance of resistance. But only if the concerned parasites are susceptible to all the actives in the mixture. If not, the mixture is likely to promote multi-resistant parasites, because the selection pressure against all actives remains in place. Mixtures such as this one may provide peace-of mind to those users that do not know the resistance status of worms in their property: at least one of the actives will work... This may be the case for a while. But the risk that some worm species become resistant to all components after a few years using the same or comparable mixtures is considerable. If it is not too late, a better alternative is to determine the resistance status in the property and to rotate among products (not mixtures) against which the worms have not yet developed resistance, stopping the use of those chemical classes that have already shown resistance problems.

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

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**?

  • Abamectin: GENERIC (introduced in the 1980s)
  • Albendazole: 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 brand/product is marketed: New Zealand
GENERIC BRANDS available? Yes, a few in the form of capsules so far, but only in Australia and/or New Zealand.

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

For an overview on the most used drench or capsule brands for livestock click here.


COMMENTS

BIONIC Hi Mineral Combination Capsules are slow-release devices combining 2 active ingredients with different modes of action against gastrointestinal worms: abamectin and albendazole.

Abamectin, a veteran endectocide introduced in the 1980s (by MSD-AgVet), is considered as the "cheap" macrocyclic lactone. It is less potent and more toxic than ivermectin and other macrocyclic lactones but is often "good enough", although usually with a slightly narrower spectrum of efficacy and shorter protection periods than other macrocyclic lactones. It is abundantly used in ruminants, much less in pig, poultry and pets. Abamectin is also used in agricultural and hygiene pesticides worldwide. Interestingly, abamectin is widely used in livestock in Australia and New Zealand but very rarely in the EU, the USA and Canada, if at all. As for other macrocyclic lactones, abamectin has no efficacy whatsoever against tapeworms and flukes.

Albendazole, another veteran anthelmintic (introduced in the 1970s by SMITH-KLINE) was the first benzimidazole with a broad-spectrum of activity, i.e. effective against all three major classes of parasitic worms: Roundworms (gastrointestinal and pulmonary), tapeworms, and flukes (only adults). Most other benzimidazoles are not effective against flukes, and the oldest ones are also ineffective against tapeworms. Albendazole also kills eggs of roundworms and flukes (ovicidal activity). All this made albendazole particularly popular for use on livestock. As other benzimidazolesalbendazole has no efficacy whatsoever against external parasites (ticksflies, lice, mites, etc). A significant disadvantage of albendazole is that it can be teratogenic (other benzimidazoles too, e.g. ricobendazole, parbendazole and cambendazole), i.e. it can cause malformations in the embryos and therefore should not be administered to pregnant animals. Albendazole is abundantly used worldwide in numberless generic brands for livestock, but significantly less for pets. It is not used in agriculture.

Click here for general information on good practices for the prevention and control of gastrointestinal worms in livestock.


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.