Frontline Plus

Imitators

Recalled

Article originally published on AskAVetQuestion.com

New flea products have come on the market recently, claiming to be the same as Frontline Plus, but costing about half of the price. One such product, PetArmor Plus has just been recalled. The product packaging looks extremely similar to Frontline. And, the active ingredients are exactly the same.

Is PetAmor the same as Frontline?
Even though the active ingredients -- fipronil and methoprine are the same, the inactive ingredients (which make up 90% of the product) are not. The makers of PetArmor, Cipla, located in India, do not reveal what the inactive ingredients are. Some vets feel that the inactive ingredients in Frontline that help to spread the product over the skin of the animal work much better than the generic brands and leave less “grease” on the animal’s skin.

With that being said, a recent study that compared a similar generic product found that it was just as effective as Frontline was for fleas.

Why is PetArmor being recalled?
The recall was ordered by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. The court ruled that PetArmor Plus infringes on patents that are owned by Merial, the makers of Frontline.

To this point 10 million dollars worth of PetArmor plus has been sold. The product was previously available over the counter at Wal-Mart, Sam’s and PetSmart stores.

Merial may be awarded damages. However, Cipla Ltd is filing for appeal.