Nitarsone is an

organoarsenic compound Organoarsenic chemistry is the chemistry of Chemical compound, compounds containing a chemical bond between arsenic and carbon. A few organoarsenic compounds, also called "organoarsenicals," are produced industrially with uses as insecticides, herb ...

that is used in

poultry production Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion chick ...

as a feed additive to increase weight gain, improve

feed efficiency In animal husbandry, feed conversion ratio (FCR) or feed conversion rate is a ratio or rate measuring of the efficiency with which the bodies of livestock convert animal feed into the desired output. For dairy cows, for example, the output is milk ...

, and prevent

histomoniasis Histomoniasis is a commercially significant disease of poultry, particularly of chickens and turkeys, due to parasitic infection of a protozoan, ''Histomonas meleagridis''. The protozoan is transmitted to the bird by the nematode parasite ''Heterak ...

(blackhead disease). It is marketed as Histostat by

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 ...

. Nitarsone once was one of four

arsenical Arsenicals are chemical compounds that contain arsenic. In a military context, the term arsenical refers to toxic arsenic compounds that are used as chemical warfare agents. This includes blister agents, blood agents and vomiting agents. Historica ...

food-animal drugs—along with

roxarsone Roxarsone is an organoarsenic compound that has been used in poultry production as a feed additive to increase weight gain and improve feed efficiency, and as a coccidiostat. As of June 2011, it was approved for chicken feed in the United State ...

arsanilic acid Arsanilic acid, also known as aminophenyl arsenic acid or aminophenyl arsonic acid, is an organoarsenic compound, an amino derivative of phenylarsonic acid whose amine group is in the 4-position. A crystalline powder introduced medically in the ...

, and carbarsone—approved by the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

for use in feeding poultry. However, following the suspension of sales of roxarsone in the United States in 2011, nitarsone was thought to be the only arsenical animal drug actually marketed in the U.S. In September 2013, the FDA announced that

and Fleming Laboratories agreed to voluntarily withdraw from using roxarsone, arsanilic acid, and carbarsone, which left nitarsone as the only arsenical approved in the U.S. for use in food animals. But in 2015, the FDA also withdrew approval of nitarsone in animal feeds, effective at the end of 2015.

References

{{reflist Arsonic acids Veterinary drugs Antiprotozoal agents Medicated feed