Drug developer strives to increase global access for 2 products

Access to a parasite protection product and a dermatology drug therapy are expanding in the global market. Elanco Animal Health’s lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquantel, and pyrantel chewable tablets (Credelio Quattro) for protection against 6 parasites and ilunocitinib tablets (Zenrelia) for management of pruritus have both proven successful with US customers, according to the company.¹

Protecting against parasites

Photo: GarkushaArt/Adobe Stock

Credelio Quattro offers broad parasite protection in an isoxazoline endectocide that covers fleas, ticks, heartworm disease and 3 risky intestinal parasites—roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Elanco announced the FDA approval of Credelio Quattro in October 2024.^1,2

“Credelio Quattro is labeled to be administered on a monthly basis. And we want to really emphasize the fact that agencies like the American Heartworm Society and Companion Animal Parasite Council encourage these pets to be on heartworm disease prevention year round. So, Credelio Quattro should be given once a month, year-round, and we've made that easier by making it available in a meat allergen-free, beef-flavored, highly palatable chewable tablet,” Casey Locklear, DVM, US medical strategic lead for Elanco Animal Health, said in a dvm360 interview following the product launch.³

Since Credelio Quattro was launched on the US market in January 2025,⁴ it has reached $100 million in net sales, according to Elanco. It is the quickest one of the company’s products has ever reached this milestone.¹

"Credelio Quattro continues to break boundaries when it comes to offering veterinarians and pet owners parasite protection," Bobby Modi, executive vice president, US Pet Health and Global Digital Transformation at Elanco, said in a press release.¹ "We're seeing incredibly strong demand for all-in-one products from pet owners and veterinarians alike. In fact, Credelio Quattro captured approximately 14% of the dollar share in broad-spectrum sales out of U.S. veterinary clinics in June. The introduction of Credelio Quattro has bolstered our broader Elanco portfolio in U.S. veterinary clinics, with Elanco now offering veterinarians a complete ecto, endo, and endecto portfolio with a variety of parasite coverage at a variety of price points to meet veterinarian and pet owner needs."

Credelio Quattro is 1 of 6 recently launched products to reach the $100 million annual net sales milestone. Buoyed by this success, the company is preparing to bring Credelio Quattro to the global market starting in 2026. Submissions for approvals have been made in Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan.¹

Managing itch

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The once-daily Janus kinase inhibitor Zenrelia has already arrived on the global market and continuing to expand. For the international market, this therapy offers a single daily dose for controlling pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis in dogs aged 12 months and older.¹

Elanco announced in July 2025 that these ilunocitinib tablets had earned approval from the European Commission with market launch scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.⁵ The United Kingdom's Veterinary Medicines Directorate granted its approval for the drug in August 2025.¹

Zenrelia is currently available in the EU, Great Britain, Brazil, Canada and Japan as well as the US. The availability of Zenrelia’s supply to veterinarians and pet owners in the EU and UK represents a pivotal milestone in the international canine dermatology market, according to officials for Elanco.¹
"I think it will really help improve that owner, patient, pet bond, it will hopefully help reduce caregiver burden and will improve patient and carer quality of life as well," British veterinarian Victoria Robinson BVM&S, BSc, CertAVP (VD), DECVD, MRCVS, RCVS and specialist in veterinary dermatology, said in the release.¹ "Knowing what I currently know about Zenrelia, I am keen to use it in the clinic and start prescribing it."

The Zenrelia label in the EU is consistent with other markets outside North America where the product has already been approved, according to Elanco. "We are very pleased with the results we are seeing in the global market, with more than half a million dogs treated with Zenrelia," Ramiro Cabral, executive vice president, Elanco International, said in the release.¹

In an interview with dvm360, Mara Tugel, DVM, veterinary technical marketing-companion animal therapeutics for Elanco, discussed studies conducted in the US and Europe prior to Zenrelia’s approvals.⁶ These studies included testing against an oclacitinib product for the European submission. “This [testing] was done in client-owned dogs, and it was a blinded, masked, randomized study across 25 different clinical sites in Europe. What we found in that study was that once daily dosing of Zenrelia was as effective as [oclacitinib] dosed twice daily for 14 days and then once daily,” Tugel said. “Additionally, there were similar rates of adverse events between treatment groups, and that once daily Zenrelia dose helped minimize the opportunity for rebound pruritus, or that little bump in itch that we can see when the [oclacitinib] doses decreased from twice daily to once daily.”

References

1. Elanco innovation builds momentum, Credelio Quattro (lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquan and pyrantel chewable tablets) reaches blockbuster status. News release. Elanco Animal Health. September 8, 2025. Accessed September 8, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/elanco-innovation-builds-momentum-credelio-quattro-lotilaner-moxidectin-praziquantel-and-pyrantel-chewable-tablets-reaches-blockbuster-status-302548581.html?tc=eml_cleartime
2. Bautista-Alejandre A. FDA approves oral drug for broad canine protection against parasites. dvm360. October 7, 2024. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/fda-approves-oral-drug-for-broad-canine-protection-against-parasites
3. Locklear C, Crossley KC. Using new combination drug to protect against parasites. dvm360. March 11, 2025. Accessed September 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/using-new-combination-drug-to-protect-against-parasites
4. Bautista-Alejandre A. Credelio Quattro launches at VMX. dvm360. January 28, 2025. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/credelio-quattro-launches-at-vmx
5. McCafferty C. European Commission approves Zenrelia. dvm360. July 28, 2025. Accessed September 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/european-commission-approves-zenrel
6. McCafferty C. The research behind Zenrelia. dvm360. October 16, 2024. Accessed September 10, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/the-research-behind-zenrelia