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Three trials including 42 sheep were conducted in Brazil or Germany to evaluate the therapeutic (two trials) and prophylactic (one trial) efficacy of an ivermectin controlled release capsule (CRC) against Psoroptes ovis infestation. In one therapeutic trial naturally infested sheep were used while in the other trials infestations were experimentally induced. In each trial half of the animals were treated on Day 0 with one ivermectin controlled release capsule that delivers ivermectin at a rate of 1.6 mg/day for approximately 100 days, that is 20 mcg/kg/day to a 80 kg animal, while the other half remained untreated. In both therapeutic trials mites were counted in skin scrapings and their presence was recorded at predilection sites one day before treatment and at weekly intervals from Day 7 to Day 56. In the trial conducted to evaluate the prophylactic efficacy the sheep were experimentally infested with P. ovis 21 and 28 days post-treatment and mites were counted and recorded at predilection sites on Days 42, 49 and 56. The ivermectin controlled release capsule was completely effective in eliminating the P. ovis mites within 28 days of administration and it prevented the establishment of an infestation of P. ovis induced 21 and 28 days after administration.

A study was conducted in cattle experimentally infested with Psoroptes ovis to compare the prophylactic control against P. ovis provided by a long-acting injectable formulation of ivermectin to that of a commercially available injectable formulation of doramectin. Thirty Holstein steers were used. Animals were allocated by restricted randomization based on Day 0 body weight, forming six replicates of five animals each. Within each replicate, one animal was randomly allocated to one of the following treatment groups, with ivermectin and doramectin administered subcutaneously where indicated: (1) untreated controls; (2) ivermectin long-acting injectable (LAI) 630 mcg/kg, 56 days before challenge; (3) ivermectin LAI 630 mcg/kg, 42 days before challenge; (4) ivermectin LAI 630 mcg/kg, 35 days before challenge; or (5) doramectin 200 mcg/kg, 35 days before challenge. Animals were housed in individual pens 1 week prior to treatment. All animals were experimentally infested with P. ovis mites in the area between the shoulders, on the same day. Live mites were counted in scrapings from mange lesions at 2 sites on each animal 14, 21 and 28 days after challenge. Live mites were found in 33, 67 and 83% of the untreated controls on each respective evaluation. No P. ovis mites were found in steers treated with ivermectin LAI. Those animals showed lower (P0.05) mite counts than untreated controls on evaluations conducted 21 and 28 days after challenge. These results indicate that the ivermectin long-acting injectable formulation prevents induced infestations by P. ovis for at least 56 days after treatment. Doramectin injectable formulation, used at 200 mcg/kg, did not have a prophylactic effect 35 days after treatment.

The options for the treatment and control of sheep scab (psoroptic mange) have been increased in recent years through the introduction of the endectocides ivermectin, doramectin and moxidectin. Whilst therapeutic efficacy is good, the current injectable formulations offer limited protection against re-infestation with Psoroptes ovis. An intraruminal controlled-release formulation of ivermectin has been developed to provide therapeutic and prophylactic activity against a range of sensitive endo- and ecto-parasites of sheep for 100 days after administration. These ivermectin boluses are designed to release ivermectin at 20-40 microg/kg/day over 100 days and were developed for use in sheep of 20-90 kg bodyweight. Several controlled therapeutic and prophylactic trials against sheep scab have been conducted under a variety of protocols with such boluses in Europe and South America. The results of these studies indicate that the bolus provides 100% therapeutic efficacy against established P. ovis infestations and equivalent prophylactic efficacy against challenge infestations administered during the active life of the bolus.