Flumethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid effective against most external livestock and dog parasites (flies, ticks, mites, lice, fleas, mosquitoes, etc.) but is completely ineffective against internal parasites. It is one of the best synthetic pyrethroids against ticks and mites, but rather mediocre against insects (flies, mosquitoes, lice, etc.).

As all synthetic pyrethroids, flumethrin products are always used for topical administration and act by contact without any systemic efficacy. Flumethrin is used moderately in cattle, sheep, swine and horses in the form of concentrates for dipping or spraying, or in ready-to-use pour-ons. Use in dogs is moderate to scarce, mainly in the form of insecticide-impregnated collars, spot-ons or low-cost topicals such as shampoos, soaps, sprays, etc.

As it happens with many synthetic pyrethroids (e.g. cypermethrin, permethrin) flumethrin too consists in a mixture of various cis:trans optic isomers. But only one standard mixture is used in most commercial products. As a consequence all those products are usually equal regarding the isomer composition and therefore quite comparable regarding efficacy and safety.

However, resistance to all synthetic pyrethroids is already very frequent worldwide and can be extremely high, particularly in cattle ticks, horn & buffalo flies, houseflies, red fowl mites, mosquitoes, sheep lice, etc.

The table below indicates some usual dosing recommendations for flumethrin issued by manufacturers or documented in the scientific literature. They may not be approved in some countries.

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In most finished products, efficacy and safety depend not only on the amount of active ingredient(s) but also on their formulations (i.e. the type and amount of so-called inert ingredients), particularly in injectables and in topical pour-ons and spot-ons. These inert ingredients can significantly affect the pharmacokinetic behavior (e.g. absorption through the skin or from the injection site, distribution within the body, spreading throughout the body surface, etc). Generic products usually contain the same amount of active ingredient(s) as the original product, but often in quite different formulations. In many cases, the curative (therapeutic) efficacy of the different formulations is quite comparable, but the protective (prophylactic) efficacy that determines the length of protection against re-infestations may be rather different.

Dosing recommendations for antiparasitics depend on national regulations. National regulatory authorities determine whether a product is approved for a given indication, i.e. use on a particular host at a specific dose and against a specific parasite. Check the labels of the products available in your country for specific information on approved indications.

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