Melarsomine (melaminylthioarsenate) is an
arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...
-based
anthelmintic
Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them without causing significant damage to the host. They may also ...
. In the U.S., it is marketed under the trade names ''Immiticide'' (
Merial
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is a Multinational corporation, multinational animal health company, formed in January 2017 when Merial was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim and merged with Boehringer Ingelheim's existing animal health assets.
...
) and ''Diroban'' (
Zoetis
Zoetis Inc. (/zō-EH-tis/) is an American drug company, the world's largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for pets and livestock. The company was a subsidiary of Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, but with Pfizer's spinoff of its ...
), and is approved by the
FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine
The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that regulates the manufacture and distribution of food, food additives, and drugs that will be given to animals. These include animals from whi ...
for the treatment of adult
heartworm
''Dirofilaria immitis'', also known as heartworm or dog heartworm, is a parasitic roundworm that is a type of filarial worm, a small thread-like worm, and which causes dirofilariasis. It is spread from host to host through the bites of mosqui ...
(''Dirofilaria immitis'') infection in
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
s. It is not approved for treatment in cats, or dogs in late-stage infection.
References
External links
American Heartworm Society
Antiparasitic agents
Organoarsenic dithiolates
Triazines
Organosulfur compounds
Drugs with unknown mechanisms of action
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