Pharmacokinetics of lotilaner following a single oral or intravenous administration in cats

BACKGROUND: Credelio(TM) (lotilaner) is an oral ectoparasiticide from the isoxazoline class developed for the treatment of flea and tick infestations in cats. It is formulated as a pure S-enantiomer in flavoured chewable tablets. The pharmacokinetics of lotilaner were investigated after intravenous or oral administration and under fed or fasted conditions in cats. Twenty-six adult cats were enrolled in a pharmacokinetic study evaluating either intravenous or oral administration of lotilaner. Following the oral administration at a dosage of 6 mg/kg, under fed or fasted conditions, or intravenous administration of 3 mg/kg, blood samples were collected up to 35 days after treatment. Lotilaner blood concentrations were measured using a validated liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by non-compartmental analysis. In addition, in vivo enantiomer stability of lotilaner was evaluated in a separate bioanalytical study. RESULTS: Following oral administration in fed cats, lotilaner was readily absorbed and peak blood concentrations reached within four hours. The terminal half-life was 33.6 days. Food enhanced the absorption, providing close to 100% oral bioavailability and reduced the inter-individual variability. Following intravenous administration, lotilaner had a low clearance of 0.13 l/kg/day, large volumes of distribution V(z) and V(ss) of 5.34 and 5.37 l/kg, respectively and a terminal half-life of 28.7 days. In addition, there was no in vivo racemization of lotilaner. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacokinetic properties of lotilaner administered orally as a flavoured chewable tablet (Credelio(TM)) were studied in detail. With a T(max) of 4 h and a terminal half-life of 33.6 days under fed conditions, lotilaner provides a rapid onset of flea and tick killing activity with consistent and sustained efficacy for at least one month in cats. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2966-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.