Thomas Lyons 
Australia’s veterinary medicines authority, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), has registered the world’s first oral product for managing lice in sheep. The product, Fluralaner 10 g/L Lousicide for Sheep, is a first-of-its-kind oral product containing fluralaner for lice control in sheep. The registration controls isoxazoline-susceptible lice (Bovicola ovis), including strains resistant to synthetic pyrethroids and insect growth regulators on sheep and lambs with any length of wool.
Nicole Hinder, the APVMA’s chief executive officer, said that the world-first registration was good news for Australian wool growers. She expressed her pride in the APVMA team for pulling through on this assessment, which is a huge amount of work from staff across the APVMA to get a registration like this across the line. Hinder believes this will be a game changer to significantly improving labour efficiency for Australia’s wool growers. She added that the product is now available to the Australian market.
The APVMA considered an application from Intervet Australia Pty Limited for approval of the new product, Fluralaner 10 g/L Lousicide for Sheep, containing 10 mg fluralaner/mL, for oral administration to sheep. The use of fluralaner on sheep had not previously been registered in Australia. Fluralaner is currently registered for oral administration to chickens via drinking water. Intervet is an MSD Animal Health entity.
Jane Parker, Ruminant business unit lead for MSD, expressed that MSD Animal Health is pleased to confirm the registration of the new product to the Australian sheep market. She said Fluralaner is Australia’s first oral sheep lice treatment that controls lice in any length of wool. Parker added that they expect sheep producers to consider this to be an innovative and breakthrough product.
This is a significant milestone in the sheep industry, as it provides an effective and convenient solution for sheep lice management. The product’s oral administration to sheep means that it can be administered to the entire flock in a short amount of time, reducing the workload for farmers. The product’s effectiveness against lice strains resistant to synthetic pyrethroids and insect growth regulators is also a significant advantage.
Australia is one of the world’s largest producers of wool, and sheep lice infestations have been a significant challenge for wool growers. Lice infestations can cause wool damage, reduced wool quality and quantity, and reduced animal welfare. The registration of Fluralaner 10 g/L Lousicide for Sheep is expected to have a significant impact on the sheep industry and provide a more efficient and effective solution to sheep lice management.
