Interceptor and Sentinel Shortage for Pets

[durrrrrrrr]

I hadnt heard of anything of this until today when I stopped at the Vet to get my dog more of the Interceptor heart worm meds.

My Vet could only sell me two of them because of the shortage for these.

She was telling me about this and I just did some research on this and I couldnt believe what I just read.

wanted to let y'all know , and maybe some of y'all already know about this. but what I am going to copy from what I had read tonight, it can be troublesome:


If your dog takes the heartworm preventative medication called Interceptor, or the heartworm and flea prevention called Sentinel, you may have trouble buying the product right now.Interceptor and Sentinel

Novartis, the company that makes these products has stopped shipping them to veterinarians. Vets were not warned of the shortage, and many are only finding out about it when they go to re-order the products.
Why is there a shortage?

Novartis claims that there is no problem with either of the products. There is, however, a potential problem with the plant that manufactures them. The plant, located in Lincoln, Nebraska manufactures medications made for animals as well as several human medications. According to the Novartis website, this plant also makes the human products Excedrine, NoDoz Alertness Aid and Gas-X. Here is a statement from the website:

NCH is taking this action as a precautionary measure, because the products may contain stray tablets, capsules, or caplets from other products, or contain broken or chipped tablets.

As a result, the plant which makes these products (including the veterinary products) is closed and is currently being inspected. According to Pharmalot.com, in November this year, three other Novartis plants received a warning from the FDA for “significant violations”. It is unclear what these violations are. There are no know claims of toxicity or illnesses resulting from problems at any Novartis plants.






When will Sentinel and Interceptor be available again?

Novartis is hoping to get the plant up and running again sometime in January although they have not given an exact date. There are apparently stores of Interceptor and Sentinel already made and waiting to be shipped so hopefully, once the plant is open, it will not take long for the drugs to reach veterinarians.


Should I be concerned?

If your pet is on Interceptor or Sentinel then there is no need to worry. There is no problem with the quality of these medications. There is no fear of contamination or other problems.
Alternatives?

If Interceptor and Sentinel remain off the market for longer than expected, there are many alternatives. Ideally it is best to speak to your veterinarian to find out what heartworm and flea preventatives are recommended in your area. Many vets who normally prescribe interceptor will be prescribing a product called Heartgard instead. In regards to flea medications you can consider Revolution, Advantage Multi, Comfortis (just fleas, not heartworm) and Trifexis.

[Toughy]

You should also think about other kinds of flea medications. You do know that you are putting poison in your furry and the flea bites your furry and is poisoned and killed. Most of those chemical pesticide flea meds do nothing to keep fleas off your furry. They still get fleas on them and the fleas are not killed until they bite your furry.

THe only place I like to see pesticides/chemicals used is on your lawn especially if you live in a climate that does not have freezing (below 32F) weather for more than a couple of days.

There are plenty of alternative products for flea and tick control on your pet. Check with your locally owned pet store....not Pet Express or PetMart or any of the box stores...........the local pet shop owned by one of your neighbors.