Efficacy and safety of imidacloprid 10% plus moxidectin 2.5% spot-on in the treatment of sarcoptic mange and otoacariosis in dogs: results af a European field study

Efficacy and safety of treatment with imidacloprid 10%+moxidectin 2.5% spot-on (Advocate®, Advantage multi®; Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany) were tested in dogs naturally infested with Sarcoptes scabiei or Otodectes cynotis in a multi–centre, controlled, randomized, blinded field study conducted in France, Germany, Albania and the UK. The study was performed according to a non–inferiority design to demonstrate that the efficacy of imidacloprid/moxidectin spot–on was not inferior to that of a control product containing selamectin (Stronghold spot–on; Pfizer). All Sarcoptes–infested dogs were topically treated twice (days 0 and 28) with the dosage recommended by the respective manufacturer (27 dogs with imidacloprid/moxidectin, 26 with selamectin). All Otodectes–infested dogs were treated on day 0 (35 dogs with imidacloprid/moxidectin, 34 with selamectin), and only those still positive on day 28 received a second treatment. Parasitological cure rate in Sarcoptes–infested dogs was 100% for both treatments, while parasitological cures rates in the Otodectes–infested dogs at day 28 and day 56 were 68.6 and 85.7% with imidacloprid/moxidectin, and 64.7 and 88.2% with Stronghold. Non–inferiority of Advocate was confirmed statistically. Clinical assessment of skin lesion scores at day 56 showed that with either product >96% of the dogs treated against sarcoptic mange were improved or cured, the difference between the groups being non–significant. On the basis of a final clinical assessment of lesion scores, 80% of the dogs treated with imidacloprid/moxidectin against otoacariosis and 85.3% of those treated with selamectin were rated cured or improved. Only three mild, possibly drug–relatedBadverse reactions were observed among alI treated animals (two in the imidacloprid/moxidectin group, one in the selamectin group). It is concluded that imidacloprid/moxidectin spot–on is an effective and safe treatment for sarcoptic mange and otoacariosis in the dog.