Sheep farmers have been given a new weapon which could halt the growing problem of internal parasite resistance to chemical drenches.
Swiss Company Novartis yesterday released a fourth generation of broad spectrum anthelmintic sheep drench, Zolvix, which it says has a new formulation and will offer farmers a way to treat internal parasites.
Drench-resistant internal parasites have become a problem for sheep farmers worldwide.
Farmers have traditionally relied on three basic chemical formulations, or families, to which parasites were increasingly becoming immune.
It has been nearly 25 years since the last drench family was released.
Novartis head of parasitology research Dr Ronald Kaminsky said in an interview that the AAD range was a new family because its first product, Zolvix, killed internal parasites that were resistant to other drenches, it worked differently by attacking the nervous system of parasites and had a different chemical composition.
Dr Kaminsky said development of Zolvix began in 2000 and had met increasingly stringent human, animal health and environmental standards.
Its registration documentation was 100,000 pages long.
Internal parasite resistance meant farmers not only lost production through less meat and wool growth, but animals became sick and in some cases died.
The cost of drench resistant parasites is estimated at $300 million a year in New Zealand.
Novartis has chosen Queenstown for its international product launch and this week was showcasing the product and a new delivery system to media farmers, scientists, vets and other rural servicing groups.
