Norvartis says the drugs could offer a new and highly effective treatment for parasitic worms Photo: USDA

Novartis Animal Health has presented research on a new class of anthelmintics, which it says could become the first new molecules to treat nematodes in livestock in over 25 years. Data presented today at the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) congress in Ghent, Belgium, suggest that the drugs could offer a new and highly effective treatment for parasitic worms, and tackle the growing problem of anthelmintic resistance.

The new class of antiparasitics, called amino-acetonitrile derivatives (AADs), have a potentially novel mode of action, Novartis says, and have shown promise against all gastrointestinal nematodes affecting sheep and cattle, including those resistant to existing treatments.

The drugs have been shown to kill nematodes by acting on specific acetylcholine receptors, and early in vivo research suggests that some molecules in the class have a kill rate of over 95% in economically important nematodes. Furthermore, they are well tolerated by ruminants, Novartis says.

Parasitologist Dr Ronald Kaminsky, who presented the data at WWAVP, said: "Anthelmintic resistance is recognized as an increasing problem globally, as existing treatments become less effective and potentially threaten the viability of livestock farming...."

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