Bayer HealthCare Introduces Seresto™, Offering Easy-To-Use Flea and Tick Control for Dogs or Cats that Lasts Eight Months

SHAWNEE, Kan., Jan. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare LLC Animal Health Division today announced the launch of Seresto, an effective, eight-month tick and flea preventive in an innovative collar form, at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Fla. Seresto offers pet owners the performance they expect from their monthly topicals, but delivers the active ingredients in an easy-to-use, convenient collar. And with eight months of effective protection against fleas and ticks on dogs or cats, Seresto is a long lasting treatment alternative for pet owners without the hassle of remembering to apply monthly treatments.

Seresto features an innovative sustained release technology that allows for a continuous release of imidacloprid and flumethrin in low concentrations. The sustained release technology releases small amounts of the active ingredients from the collar to the hair and skin of the animal, where they are distributed over the hair and skin surface. As a result, Seresto kills fleas within 24 hours and ticks within 48 hours after initial application. Reinfesting fleas are killed within two hours and reinfesting ticks are killed as quickly as six hours.

"No other flea or tick preventive on the market provides eight months of effective flea and tick protection with only one single application for both dogs or cats," said Ian Spinks, President and General Manager, Bayer HealthCare LLC Animal Health Division, North America. "Bayer HealthCare Animal Health wants to be the go-to company for all types of parasiticide products. With Seresto, we give consumers a new alternative to spot-on topical flea and tick, and oral flea prevention."

Seresto will be sold in veterinary clinics, pet specialty stores and select online pet pharmacies beginning on January 21, 2013 at a suggested retail price of $70.

"Consumers seldom hear a product referred to as being 'premium-priced' and 'economical choice,' but Seresto is definitely both," said Spinks. "Seresto's expected price for pet owners will be $70 for eight months of effective protection that averages out to a cost-per-month of less than $10 per dose, making it an economical choice for effective flea and tick prevention."

Getting pets closer to year-round flea and tick protection
The Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends year-round protection against fleas and ticks. But the truth is, many pet owners live busy lives and tend to forget to give monthly treatments. Some pet owners stretch treatments for longer than their labeled duration or only apply treatments during times of the year when fleas and ticks are most prevalent. This can put their pets at a greater risk for an infestation by fleas or ticks. Infected ticks can transmit organisms that can cause diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and flea infestations can cause serious discomfort for pets. Seresto kills fleas and repels and kills ticks. If a tick is repelled or killed it cannot attach to a dog or cat and transmit organisms that may cause disease.

Seresto's eight-month duration is a convenient alternative that avoids the hassle of remembering to apply monthly treatments, according to Cristiano von Simson, DVM, MBA, Director of Veterinary Technical Services at Bayer HealthCare LLC Animal Health Division, North America.

"Seresto was designed with compliance in mind," said Dr. von Simson. "It may ease the compliance concerns of veterinarians because they know that their clients are effectively protecting their pets against flea and tick infestations for eight months. You can fit it and forget it. Seresto is also a great new option for tick protection on cats because it is able to both kill and repel ticks."

The design of Seresto includes a ratchet-release system and, on the small dog and cat collars, a pre-determined breaking point. This is important so that in the unlikely event of a cat or dog being trapped, the pet's own strength is sufficient to allow for a quick release. Each collar also comes with three optional reflectors for added visibility at night. Seresto will be available for cats, for small dogs up to 18 pounds, and for large dogs above 18 pounds.

About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 17.2 billion (2011), is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover, develop, manufacture and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 55,700 employees (Dec 31, 2011) and is represented in more than 100 countries. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

Find more information at www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

SOURCE Bayer HealthCare LLC