Pet owners now have an authorized option to prevent New World screwworm rather than only treat it. The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for Capstar tablets and revised the existing authorization for generic nitenpyram tablets, allowing both to be used for prevention as well as treatment in dogs, puppies, cats and kittens.
The generic product had been authorized earlier this year for treatment only, under the generic tablet's original treatment authorization. Timothy Schell, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, described the gap the change closes, noting that multiple products had been authorized or conditionally approved for treatment in dogs and cats but "none were for prevention, until today."
