Brand: CREDELIO CATS

Company: ELANCO


FORMULATION: chewable «tablets»

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S): LOTILANER

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): ISOXAZOLINE


INDICATIONS: CATS

PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity)


RECOMMENDED DOSE*

EU:

  • Cats, 0.5 to 2.0 kg bw: 1 tablet with 12 mg lotilaner (equivalent to ~6 to ~24 mg/kg)
  • Cats, >2.0 to 10.0 kg bw: 1 tablet with 48 mg lotilaner (equivalent to ~14 to ~53 mg/kg) 
  • Cats, >10 kg appropriate combination of tablets

USA:

  • Cats, 2 to 4 lbs bw: 1 tablet with 12 mg lotilaner (equivalent to ~6 to ~24mg/kg)
  • Cats, 4.1 to 17.0 lbs bw: 1 tablet with 48 mg lotilaner (equivalent to ~14 to ~53 mg/kg) 
  • Cats, >17 lbs appropriate combination of tablets

SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats: n.a. for the tablets.
  • Estimated Hazard Class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

In September 2018 the FDA of the USA has alerted pet owners and veterinarians about potential neurological adverse events following the use of products containing isoxazolines. in dogs. In August 2021 the FDA extended this alert to cats. Some treated animals have experienced adverse events such as muscle tremors, ataxia (lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements), and seizures. This regards all products containing isoxazolines. Most treated animals will not show such adverse drug reactions, but some may be affected.

Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on lotilaner safety in this site.

WARNING !!!: Never use on cats tablets approved only for use on dogs, and vice-versa. Never use on cats or small dogs tablets approved for large dogs. Learn more about tablets and their safety.

General information on the safety of veterinary antiparasitics is available in specific articles in this site (click to visit):


RESISTANCE PREVENTION

Risk of resistance development?

Lotilaner has been introduced in 2017. It was the forth isoxazoline to be introduced, four years after the first one, afoxolaner (the a.i. of NEXGARD). Isoxazolines are a new chemical class of insecticides recently discovered. Isoxazolines have a mode of action that is different from all other insecticides currently used against fleas or ticks, and shows no cross-resistance with them. Consequently there are no reports on flea or tick resistance to isoxazolines yet. However, fleas have developed resistance to several other insecticides (e.g. carbamatesorganophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids) and are certainly capable of becoming resistant to isoxazolines as well. Experience shows that prolonged and uninterrupted use of any insecticide on fleas bears the risk of resistance development.

Alternatives to prevent flea resistance through product rotation:

*F = effective against fleas; T = effective against ticks.

These alternative products may not be available in all countries, or may not be available as tablets. Resistance of fleas to carbamatesorganophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids is not uncommon in several countries, including the USA.

Learn more about resistance and how it develops.


MARKETING

Are the active ingredients of this product ORIGINAL* or GENERICS**? ORIGINAL (introduced in 2017 by ELANCO)

*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, USA
GENERIC BRANDS available? NO

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


COMMENTS

CREDELIO CATS from ELANCO is a once-a-month chewable tablet for flea + tick control in cats.

Lotilaner is a broad-spectrum insecticide and acaricide belonging to the isoxazolines introduced in 2017 (by ELANCO). It has a systemic mode of action, i.e. after oral administration it gets into the blood of the pet and reaches fleas and ticks during their blood meal.

Full efficacy (>95%) against fleas is achieved within 4 hours of attachment for one month after product administration. Fleas on the animal prior to administration are killed within 6 hours. Administered monthly, CREDELIO controls established flea infestations and prevents flea population development in the pets environment, but only if all the dogs and cats in the same household are treated against fleas.

For adult ticks, the onset of effect (death) is about 48 hours.

It must be considered that there are other tick species in Europe and in the USA that can infect dogs in addition to the ones controlled by this product, e.g. Dermacentor marginatus, Dermacentor pictusHaemaphysalis spp, Hyalomma spp, Rhipicephalus bursa, etc. It is not known whether CREDELIO controls such tick species as well.

Systemic products (e.g. tablets for oral administration or injectables) have several general advantages over topical products (spot-ons, insecticide-impregnated collars, shampoos, soaps, sprays, powders, etc):

  • They do not contaminate the pet's hair coat: avoiding contact with the pets after administration is not necessary for children or adults.
  • The active ingredient reaches the parasites through the blood, everywhere in the pet's body, whereas topical products may leave some body parts (e.g. the ears, between the legs, etc.) insufficiently protected.
  • Efficacy is independent from exposure to dirt, sun, shampooing, washings, rain, baths, etc., whereas topical products can be washed away, or broken down by sunlight, etc.

But they have also a few disadvantages:

  • External parasites have to bite and suck blood first before they are killed or sterilized, i.e. they may transmit several diseases before they are killed.
  • Orally administered products (tablets, suspensions, pastes, etc.) may be vomited and treatment needs to be repeated.
  • Administration of tablets may be less convenient than administration of spot-ons.
  • The choice of products for oral or injectable administration is smaller than for topical administration.

For an overview and a list of the most popular pet antiparasitics for flea, tick, lice and/or mite control 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.