Single Dose Antibacterial Reduces Pulls, Chronics

In the mid 1990s, scientists set out to discover a new antibacterial specifically for treating bovine respiratory disease. Their goals — it must be gram-negative, offer consistent efficacy from a single injection, reach high concentrations in the lung shortly after administration, and be safe and convenient.

Pfizer scientists evaluated hundreds of compounds that would achieve their goals, eventually isolating one antibacterial that ultimately became the first in a new subclass of antimicrobials.

What resulted was the antibacterial tulathromycin, commercially known as Draxxin.

“Tulathromycin went from a checmist’s laboratory to FDA-approved use in cattle in less than nine years,” said Gordon Brumbaugh, DVM, PhD, with Pfizer. “That is extremely fast for a product to go from an idea into full production.”

Draxxin is indicated for the treatment of BRD and the control of respiratory disease caused by Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni (Haemophilus somnus).
Brumbaugh believes the product is an excellent fit for a single dose, first treatment response.
In most operations, hospital and sick pens, as well as labor, are a limiting factor, explained Dan Scruggs, DVM with Pfizer. “Deminished first treatment response impacts the hospital numbers and space, reducing the number of cattle that can go to the hospital for treatment.

“Probably more than any one thing, overcrowded hospital pens diminish treatment response. It’s good to take steps to reduce that hospital bottleneck,” Scruggs said. “Anything that improves first treatment response reduces those numbers. You don’t have to put those cattle in a hospital pen. If you have confidence in a product, you can get those cattle back into the wide, open spaces to recover.”

Product trails of the single dose antibacterial proved it was effective. “Our goal in developing Draxxin was to set a new standard of effectiveness for treatment of costly livestock diseases,” said Ann Jernigan, DVM, PhD with Pfizer.

In studies presented to the FDA during the approval process, Draxxin responded with more first treatment success when compared to some other antimicrobial products currently on the market. The studies also showed continued success in reducing repulls and chronics.

“Would you rather see cattle look good in 24 to 48 hours, or cattle that are completely healed in two weeks?” asked Scruggs. “It’s a no brainer; you want your cattle healed. Completeness of response is really important. If you’re not looking at completeness of response, you can fool yourself with what a product is doing in just 24 to 48 hours.”

Studies showed Draxxin had a lower chronic rate than other products in the trials. With that in mind, Dr. Scruggs cautioned, “Don’t forget about chronics. You may not see those results for at least a month down the road. You might be generating a lot of chronics with a product, but you don’t know that for some time.”
Scruggs also said it is important to look at management strategies within an operation to improve treatment response. “Do our receiving and hospital facilities allow us to maximize the benefit of today’s anti-infectives?” he said. “Reducing cattle crowding, allowing maximal use of forages or bunk space, vaccine timing and handling groups to minimize disease outbreaks all can help maximize treatment response.” ©
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