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New data from 10-year global flea monitoring program confirms imidacloprid remains highly effective

August 14, 2009

Bayer Animal Heath announced today at the 22nd World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP), Calgary, Canada the latest results of a large-scale, international, independent Flea Susceptibility Monitoring (FSM) program, demonstrating that imidacloprid remains highly effective for the control of fleas in companion animals.

The data show that fleas collected from around the globe continue to be as highly susceptible to imidacloprid today as they were when the monitoring commenced. In 2009, the FSM program celebrates its 10th year. Since 2001, when the diagnostic dose was established enabling field monitoring to begin, 1356 samples have been submitted, 1014 samples have been analyzed and 13 flea isolates identified for more detailed laboratory investigation. After additional testing none of those isolates were considered to have reduced susceptibility. The ongoing monitoring through the innovative FSM program confirms that veterinarians and pet owners can continue to trust in imidacloprid, the active ingredient in Bayer Animal Health's Advantage® Topical Solution and K9 Advantix®.

The Bayer Animal Health-funded FSM program is the first and only initiative of its kind in the field of companion animal parasites and includes a group of internationally renowned, independent researchers who work together with Bayer Animal Health to continuously monitor the susceptibility of fleas to imidacloprid. Under the international program, data is collected from the United States, Germany, France and the UK. In the US alone, there are over 100 clinics across 23 states involved in the collection of field isolates which are then sent to independent laboratories in California and Alabama for testing.

"The inception in 1999 of the global monitoring program for susceptibility of fleas to imidacloprid was a significant milestone in resistance surveillance and risk assessment. That this program has now reached its tenth anniversary testifies to the strength and motivation of the international team conducting the research, and the commitment of Bayer to ensure that its products continue to provide proven, efficient, reliable flea control", said Dr. Michael Rust, Professor of Entomology, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Riverside.

The methodology utilized by the FSM follows a three-step approach. Flea egg samples are collected by participating veterinarians from infested animals and sent to the monitoring laboratories for testing. Twenty eggs are reared on media containing 3 ppm imidacloprid (the diagnostic dose) and 20 in media without imidacloprid (controls). Adult emergence is measured and if >5%, that population of fleas is maintained to allow further laboratory evaluation of susceptibility. The third evaluation step is to investigate the susceptibility of the flea population when placed on dogs and treated with Advantage®. To date, no isolates have survived the second stage of the testing process, proving the long-standing efficacy of imidacloprid in killing fleas.

"Ten years after the initiation of the Flea Susceptibility Monitoring program, our efforts remain a unique and important strategy for assessing the continuing efficacy of imidacloprid against fleas. Monitoring the performance of current agents like imidacloprid is necessary to help maintain a longer, viable product life for these products", said Dr. Bryon Blagburn, Distinguished University Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, USA.

"Bayer Animal Health is committed to remaining at the forefront of understanding parasitology and its related diseases, and, in this way, providing effective treatments that continue to ensure optimal animal health," said Sarah Weston, Global Veterinary Services Manager, Bayer Animal Health.

Weber Shandwick Worldwide