Antiparasitic Drug for Farmed Salmon Gains Approval

The approval was granted after the parasiticide met all of Health Canada’s requirements for human safety, according to the product’s developer, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

SLICE® has been used in Canada since 1999, when Health Canada authorized it for sale to veterinarians on a case-by-case basis through the Veterinary Drugs Directorate's Emergency Drug Release (EDR) program. A specific Canadian-labeled product will not be available until the end of the year; in the meantime, the EDR-labeled product will continue to be available.

Sea lice attack the skin of the fish, making them more susceptible to other infections and eventually leading to reduced muscle mass and death. Superficial damage on lice-infected salmon can also reduce their market value for aesthetic reasons.

In Canada, SLICE® 0.2 per cent Premix is indicated as an aid in the treatment of parasitic infestations caused by all parasitic stages of the sea louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) on Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar). The product is approved in Canada with no required withdrawal time before harvest. SLICE® is already approved for use in many other markets with farmed salmon, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway and Chile.

SLICE® is a brand owned by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and is protected by copyrights, trademark and other intellectual property laws. This press release contains information on veterinary products based on international registration dossiers and may refer to products that are either not available in your country or are marketed under a different trade name. In addition, the safety and efficacy data for a specific product may be different depending on local regulations. For more information, read the product labeling that applies to your country or contact your local Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health representative..