Seresto® Provides Groundbreaking Parasite Protection in Cats and Dogs

BIRMINGHAM, England, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Not Intended for UK Media

New treatment from Bayer Animal Health offers cats and dogs up to eight months' protection from ticks and fleas in a single treatment

Bayer Animal Health today launched Seresto (known as Foresto in some European markets⁽¹⁾), a groundbreaking tick and flea treatment for dogs and cats, to the scientific community at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Conference in Birmingham, UK. The Seresto collar is the latest in a long line of innovative ectoparasiticides from one of the world's leading animal health companies, with outstanding protection against fleas and ticks for up to eight months from a single application.

Seresto is the first new treatment in more than a decade to offer combined tick and flea protection for both cats and dogs. As the first product to offer repellency against ticks for cats as well as dogs, Seresto helps to reduce the risk of vector-borne disease transmission from these parasites.

Professor Leon Fourie specializing in arachnoentomology and parasitology, from Free State University in South Africa spoke of the launch of Seresto, "This is the first product we have seen that is able to provide consistent efficacy and safety for such a long period. With up to eight months of protection from each application, Seresto has the potential to establish a new standard in long-term protection from ticks and fleas for cats and dogs."

Seresto represents a major advance in the development of ectoparasiticides. The unique polymer matrix of Seresto provides dose adjusted release of two proven active ingredients: imidacloprid, a very potent insecticide, and flumethrin, a highly effective acaricide. Research into the efficacy of this combination has demonstrated that these two active ingredients work synergistically to significantly increase their efficacy against fleas. Laboratory trials confirm that the combination of imidacloprid and flumethrin is 100 times more effective against fleas than imidacloprid alone.^[2] Thanks to its innovative polymer matrix composition, the migration of active ingredients from the Seresto collar matrix to the surface adjusts depending on the concentrations of active ingredients within the lipid layer on the pet´s skin. This ensures a steady, low-dose release profile, providing optimal protection for up to eight months.

The launch of Seresto comes as veterinarians worldwide are seeing changes in the patterns of parasite risk for pets. Maggie Fisher, a Veterinary Parasitology Consultant based in the UK, spoke of the impact of these changes, "Across Europe we're seeing dramatic changes in the spread and activity of ticks and fleas in response to changes in climate and pet travel. We're finding that ticks are active for much more of the year, and are appearing in areas where they would traditionally not be expected to be found. Fleas also are infesting pets all year round. And of course, with these parasites come the risk of diseases spread by their bites; we're seeing more of these serious diseases, and seeing much greater variety in the types of disease than ever before. That's why a number of expert groups http://www.esccap.org/ recommend year-round ectoparasiticide protection for all cats and dogs, regardless of where they live."

Clinical trials experience with Seresto has had a significant impact on many of the participating veterinarians. Dr. Adriana Estrela, a veterinary surgeon from Portugal and Clinical Director and Managing Partner of the Pardilhó Veterinary Clinic, spoke of her experience: "I haven't recommended collars for a number of years. Spot-ons are excellent products; however, it is imperative that they are applied every month if they are to be fully effective. My clients live a busy lifestyle and don't always remember to reapply on time. Even as little as a one week delay in application can result in reoccurring tick and flea infestations. I had my doubts about using a collar initially, but was impressed by the results we had with Seresto - we didn't see any infestations at all during the trial. For our practice, Seresto has been a really significant advance, we'd recommend it to any of our clients looking for a simple, effective ectoparasiticide for their cat or dog."

Due to its dose-adjusted release, the choice and concentration of the active ingredients and its unique depot formulation, Seresto is safe for pets, families and the environment if used according to the instructions. According to Dr. Dorothee Stanneck, Clinical Development Manager for Seresto at Bayer Animal Health, it has been developed with a focus on minimising the risks traditionally associated with collars. "Seresto has been designed in such a way that in the unlikely event of a cat becoming trapped, the cat's own strength is sufficient to trigger a quick release mechanism that gives way when a force of 50 newtons (the same force exerted by a 2kg cat jumping 40cm in height) is applied to the collar. If for any reasons the ratchet release mechanism is blocked, the collar has a second layer of protection through a break-away area that will snap once a force of 80 newtons is applied."

The European launch of Seresto was announced on the first day of the WSAVA^[3]/FECAVA^[4]/BSAVA^[5] World Congress 2012, the largest international veterinary event ever held in the UK. One of the main themes of the congress is the 'One Health' initiative, a global campaign highlighting the need for collaboration and cooperation between human and veterinary medicine in order to improve the lives of all species.

"The timing of the announcement of Seresto was particularly welcome given the focus of this year's congress" said Michael Day, Professor of Veterinary Pathology from the University of Bristol, UK, Junior Vice President of BSAVA and Chair of the WSAVA Scientific and One Health Committees. "We are seeing an unprecedented demand for simple, effective, long-term ectoparasiticides treatment options to manage the increasing risks to animal and human health associated with vector-borne diseases. While traditional options can be very effective, there is a clear need for longer-acting, more user-friendly approaches to the vital task of ectoparasite control. In my view, the development of Seresto gives veterinarians and pet owners not just another effective ectoparasiticide, but a genuine advance in the delivery of long-term protection that they are able to fit and forget, enabling them to protect their pet and their community."

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About Seresto

Seresto is available as a collar in two sizes and can be worn by both cats and dogs. It has been designed to stay securely in place for an up to eight month period while ensuring safety from strangulation.

Seresto is unique in including both a leading insecticide, imidacloprid, and the highly effective acaricide flumethrin. These compounds are embedded in an innovative waterproof, odour-free polymer matrix. The collar's materials ensure that the active ingredients are consistently released over an up to eight month period at an effective, low dose.

About ticks and fleas

Tick and flea infestations are more than just a nuisance; they also pose a very real threat to both pets and humans as they can transmit serious diseases. These diseases have become more frequently diagnosed and more geographically widespread, increasing both the danger posed to pets and the risk posed to humans.

Fleas are the most common ectoparasite in cats and dogs and are capable of spreading and/or causing a number of diseases that affect cats, dogs and even humans, including tapeworm, flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), bartonellosis and endemic typhus. Diseases spread by ticks include anaplasmosis, Lyme borreliosis, babesiosis, tick-borne encephalitis and ehrlichiosis, many of which can cause serious diseases in humans. In dogs, many of these diseases can be lethal and cannot yet be treated, meaning that prevention is key to their management. The most effective disease prevention technique is to stop parasites from biting, removing any possibility of disease transmission.

The ability of a treatment to prevent biting is commonly referred to as 'repellency' (anti-feeding) - products that offer repellency, like Seresto, have been demonstrated in field studies to reduce the risk of disease transmission.

About Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 17.2 billion (2011), is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover, develop, manufacture and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 55,700 employees (Dec 31, 2011) and is represented in more than 100 countries. Find more information at http://www.bayerhealthcare.com.

With a turnover of EUR 1.190 million (2011) Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health Division is one of the world's leading manufacturers of veterinary drugs. The division manufactures and markets more than 100 different veterinary drugs and care products for livestock and companion animals.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at http://www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

1. BG, CZ, EE, HU, LT, LV, PL, RO, SK, SI

2. Stanneck D, et al. Parasite & Vectors 2012; In Press

3. WSAVA: World Small Animal Veterinary Association

4. FECAVA: Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Association

5. BSAVA: British Small Animal Veterinary Association