Powder for use in drinking water. Yellow to pale yellow powder. Appearance of the product after dilution: Colourless to pale yellowish solution.

1g contains 500mg of Doxycycline hyclate (corresponding to 433mg of doxycycline)

Pigs: For the treatment of the clinical signs associated with porcine respiratory disease caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae susceptible to doxycycline.

Chickens: Where clinical disease is present in the flock, to reduce mortality, morbidity, and clinical signs and to reduce lesions due to Pasteurellosis caused by Pasteurella multocida or to reduce morbidity and lesions in respiratory infections caused by Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT).

TO BE ADMINISTERED ORALLY VIA DRINKING WATER

Chickens:

The recommended dose is 10 mg doxycycline hyclate (20 mg product) per kg body weight per day for 3-4 consecutive days in case of infections caused by P. multocida and 20 mg doxycycline hyclate (40 mg product) per kg body weight per day for 3-4 consecutive days in case of infections caused by O. rhinotracheale.

The recommended dose is 12.5 mg doxycycline hyclate (25 mg product) per kg body weight per day for 4 consecutive days.

If no improvement in clinical signs is seen within this time, the diagnosis should be reviewed and treatment changed. In case of severe infections the medication period may be prolonged for a maximum of 8 consecutive days as determined by the attending veterinary surgeon.

Based on the dose to be used, and the number and weight of the animals to be treated, the exact daily amount of product can be calculated. The following formula can be used to calculate the concentration of the product in drinking water:

To ensure a correct dosage body weight should be determined as accurately as possible.

The uptake of medicated drinking water depends on the clinical condition of the pigs/chickens. In order to obtain the correct dosage the concentration of doxycycline has to be adjusted accordingly.

The use of suitably calibrated weighing equipment is recommended if part packs are used. The daily amount is to be added to the drinking water such that all medication will be consumed in 24 hours. Medicated drinking water should be replaced every 24 hours.

It is recommended to prepare a concentrated pre-solution - approximately 100 grams product per litre drinking water - and to dilute this further to therapeutic concentrations if required. Alternatively, the concentrated solution can be used in a proportional water medicator.

Solubility of the product is pH dependent and it may precipitate if it is mixed in hard alkaline drinking water. Use at minimum concentrations of 200 mg powder per litre drinking water in areas with hard alkaline drinking water (hardness above 10.2 °d and pH more than 8.1).

During the treatment period animals should not have access to other water sources than the medicated water.

Water uptake should be monitored at frequent intervals during medication.

After the end of the medication period, the water supply system should be cleaned appropriately to avoid intake of sub-therapeutic amounts of the active substance.

Do not use in known cases of hypersensitivity to tetracyclines or to any of the excipients.

Do not use in animals with an impaired liver function.

Do not use in animals with renal disorders.

Official, national and regional antimicrobial policies should be taken into account when the product is used.

Use of the product deviating from the instructions given in the SPC may increase the prevalence of bacteria resistant to doxycycline and may decrease the effectiveness of treatment with other tetracyclines due to the potential for cross-resistance.

Due to likely variability (time, geographical) in susceptibility of bacteria for doxycycline bacteriological sampling and susceptibility testing are recommended. In particular susceptibility of A. pleuropneumoniae and O. rhinotracheale may differ from country to country and even farm to farm. Use of the product should be based on culture and sensitivity of micro-organisms from diseased cases on farm. If this is not possible, therapy should be based on local (regional, farm level) epidemiological information about susceptibility of the target bacteria.

As eradication of the target pathogens may not be achieved, medication should therefore be combined with good management practices, e.g. good hygiene, proper ventilation, no overstocking.

People with known hypersensitivity to tetracyclines such as doxycycline should avoid contact with the veterinary medicinal product.

Take measures to avoid producing dust when incorporating the product into water. Avoid direct contact with skin and eyes when handling the product to prevent sensitisation and contact dermatitis.

During preparation and administration of the medicated drinking water, skin and eye contact with the product and inhalation of dust particles should be avoided. Wear impermeable gloves (e.g. rubber or latex) and an appropriate dust mask (e.g. disposable half-mask respirator conforming to European Standard EN149 or a non-disposable respirator to European Standard EN140 with a filter to EN143) when reconstituting or administering the product.

In the event of eye or skin contact, rinse the affected area with large amounts of clean water and if irritation occurs, seek medical attention. Wash hands and contaminated skin immediately after handling the product.

Do not smoke, eat or drink while handling the product.

If you develop symptoms following exposure such as skin rash, you should seek medical advice and show this warning to the physician. Swelling of the face, lips or eyes, or difficulty with breathing are more serious symptoms and require urgent medical attention.

Doxycycline has a low affinity for forming complexes with calcium and studies have demonstrated that doxycycline scarcely affects skeleton formation. In the absence of specific studies the use of the product is not recommended during pregnancy or lactation.

Overdoses up to 1.6 times the label recommended dose resulted in no clinical signs that could be attributed to treatment. Poultry tolerate double overdoses of doxycycline (40 mg/kg body weight) without any clinical effect.

Tetracyclines may - in very rare cases - induce photosensitivity and allergic reactions. If suspected adverse reactions occur, treatment should be discontinued.

In the absence of compatibility studies, this product must not be mixed with other veterinary medicinal products.

Do not combine with antibiotics that are bactericidal e.g. penicillins or cephalosporins.

Absorption of doxycycline can be decreased in the presence of high quantities of calcium, iron, magnesium or aluminium in the diet. Do not administer concurrently with antacids, kaolin and iron preparations.

It is advised that the interval between the administration of the product and administration of other products containing polyvalent cations should be 1-2 hours because the latter limit the absorption of tetracyclines.

Doxycycline increases the action of anticoagulants.

The solubility of the product is pH dependent and will precipitate if mixed in alkaline solution.

Do not store the drinking water in metallic containers.

Any unused veterinary medicinal product or waste materials derived from such veterinary medicinal products should be disposed of in accordance to local requirements.

Pigs: Meat & Offal: 4 days

Chickens:

Meat & Offal: 3 days (at a dose rate of 10 mg/kg b.w.)

Meat & Offal: 9 days (at a dose rate of 20 mg/kg b.w.)

Eggs: Not for authorised use in laying birds producing eggs for human consumption.

Do not use within 4 weeks of onset of the laying period.

Store below 30°C.

Store in the original package.

Keep the bag tightly closed after first opening in order to protect from moisture.

Once opened, the medicinal product should be stored at temperatures below 25°C.

Shelf-life of the veterinary medicinal product as packaged for sale: 2 years.

Shelf life of the veterinary medicinal product as packaged for sale: 2 years.

Shelf life after first opening the immediate packaging: 1 year.

Shelf life after dilution or reconstitution according to directions: 24 hours.

Thermosealed bags of PET/AI/PE containing 100g or 1000g powder. Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

KRKA, d.d., Novo mesto

Šmarješka cesta 6

8501 Novo mesto

Slovenia

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Antibacterial for systemic use, Tetracyclines.

ATCvet code: QJ01AA02

Doxycycline belongs to the group of the tetracycline antibiotics. These antibiotics have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, sharing the same basic structure of polycyclic naphthacenecarboxamide.

Doxycycline is primarily a bacteriostatic drug. It exerts its action by inhibiting the protein synthesis of the bacterial cell. Inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis results in disturbance of all functions necessary for the life of bacteria. In particular, cell-division and the formation of the cell wall are impaired.

Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, active against a large number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms and Mycoplasmas.

For Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale results demonstrate a great variation from high to low susceptibility, depending on the geographical region where isolates came from.

In pig pathogens resistance against doxycycline may also vary; in particular susceptibility figures of A. pleuropneumoniae may differ from country to country and even farm to farm.

Four resistance mechanisms acquired by microorganisms against tetracyclines in general have been reported: Decreased accumulation of tetracyclines (decreased permeability of the bacterial cell wall and active efflux), protein protection of the bacterial ribosome, enzymatic inactivation of the antibiotic and rRNA mutations (preventing the tetracycline binding to ribosome). Tetracycline resistance is usually acquired by means of plasmids or other mobile elements (e.g. conjugative transposons). Cross resistance between tetracyclines has also been described. Due to the greater liposolubility and greater facility to pass through cell membranes (in comparison to tetracycline), doxycycline retains a certain degree of efficacy against microorganisms with acquired resistance to tetracyclines.

Doxycycline is absorbed in the stomach and the first part of the duodenum. Compared to the older tetracyclines the absorption of doxycycline is less affected by the presence of bivalent cations in food. Bioavailability in non-fasted pigs is approximately 21%.

Following oral administration at a dose of 12.8 mg/kg body weight, steady state concentrations during medication range between a Cmin of 0.40 μg/ml in the early morning to a Cmax of 0.87 μg/ml in the late afternoon in pigs.

Following administration of doxycycline hyclate at an actual dose of 21 mg/kg body weight to chickens mean plasma concentrations above 1 μg/ml were reached within 6 hours and lasted for 6 hours after cessation of medication. From 24 h up to 96 h after start of treatment the doxycycline plasma concentrations exceeded 2 μg/ml. Following administration of doxycycline hyclate at an actual dose of 10 mg/kg body weight steady state plasma concentrations ranged from 0.75 to 0.93 μg/g between 12 and 96 hours after start of medication.

Because doxycycline is highly lipid soluble, it has a good tissue penetration. Respiratory tract tissue: plasma ratios of 1.3 (healthy lungs), 1.9 (pneumonic lungs) and 2.3 (nasal mucosa) have been reported for doxycycline. Plasma protein binding is high (over 90%).

Doxycycline is scarcely metabolised. Doxycycline is primarily excreted with the faeces.

Vm 01656/4115