'iverhart plus"

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\'iverhart plus\"

Hi

I was recently given Iverhart and not heart guard when I brought my dogs to the vet. Is it a "generic"of sorts for Heartguard?

I am feeling ripped off.

Also, I a nine year veteran in pharma specialty sales. Any comparisons with someone with my experience in Vet. med? Are salaries similar, and do Pharma reps often get hired?

Thanks..
 



Re: \'iverhart plus\"

you did not get ripped off, you got a cheaper product that does the exact same thing. You don't like it, then take it back...

and no, you are too stupid to work in animal health
 



Re: \'iverhart plus\"

The Merial reps I work with have a little more class than the previous poster. As for Iverhart, look at the American Heartworm Society's recommendation. Check to see if any lots of Iverhart got recalled vs. that of Heartgard. Look at the product guarantee of both products. Yes, they both do the exact same thing, but do they protect with the same consistent quality? Iverhart is cheaper for a reason. . .
 



Re: \'iverhart plus\"

How is this a class issue?

Look up the word "Bioavailibility".

It means equal. HG went off patent. Nothing more or less.

HG has killed dogs and had batches recalled. So what?
 






Re: \'iverhart plus\"

What dictionary are you using? Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines bioavailability as "the degree to which a drug becomes available to the target tissue after administration." It does NOT mean equal. If a company's quality is consistent, the exact dosage would be the same in all lots or batches of a product. The FDA allows generic companies a variance of up to 25%. The innovator companies have a higher standard.

Please advise what batches of HG were recalled and when this was. I would be very surprised that the American Heartworm Society would make a recommendation on a product that has a recall history.
 






Re: \'iverhart plus\"

Agreed, but poster 582947 above says HG has killed and has had batches recalled. We have had the dogs in our family on HG only and that decision was based on conversations with various vets and technicians we know, and also from the technical bulletins that come out. I've not heard of any HG batch being recalled or of any deaths related to HG use. So, the question remains: when were the batches recalled and when did these HG deaths occur?
 



Re: \'iverhart plus\"

Learn to read:

At elevated doses, sensitive dogs showed adverse reactions which included mydriasis, depression, ataxia, tremors, drooling, paresis, recumbency, excitability, stupor, coma and death.

Yes Virginia, HG has killed dogs.
 



Re: \'iverhart plus\"

You apparently only read one sentence in the whole paragraph.

The SAFETY paragraph says . . . "Studies with ivermectin indicate that certain dogs of the Collie breed are more sensitive to the effects of ivermectin administered at elevated doses levels (more than 16 times the target use level) than dogs of other breeds. At elevated doses, sensitive dogs showed adverse reactions which included mydriasis, depression, ataxia, tremors, drooling, paresis, recumbency, excitability, stupor, coma and death. HEARTGARD demonstrated no signs of toxicity at 10 times the recommended dose (60mcg/kg) in sensitive collies. Results of thse trials and bioequivalency studies support the safety of HEARTGARD products in dogs, including Collies, when used as recommended.

HEARTGARD Plus has shown a wide margin of safety at the recommended dose level in dogs, including pregnant or breeding bitches, stud dogs and puppies aged 6 or more weeks. . ."

This means that death can occur if a dog is given a dose of 16 times the target use level. That would be the equivalent of 1 box of 12 and another box of 4 tablets, when it's supposed to be 1 monthly tablet. Well, hell, I'm sure if you took 16 times your normal medication dosage, you might meet death also. Additionally, they used Collies because they are the breed with the most sensitivity to ivermectin. Other breeds have stronger intestinal fortitude. Continuing . . . the safety studies show that the Collies received up to 10 times the normal dose without an adverse effects. And last, when given at the recommended dose, HG is safe enough for pregnant and breeding dogs and puppies as young as 6 weeks.

So, I guess if your right, HG can kill, but only if you give it 16 tablets at a time. You would have to be pretty stupid, eh?
 



Re: \'iverhart plus\"

That last sentence should read:

So, I guess you're right. HG can kill but only if you give it 16 tablets at a time. You would have to be pretty stupid, eh?
 



Re: \'iverhart plus\"

Let’s review:

Fact: HG has killed dogs
Response: Agreed, but poster 582947 above says HG has killed and has had batches recalled. (As in, please provide evidence.)

Fact: The PI says it clearly – “Death”.
Response: Oh, only if you overdose it.

Fact: Some Collies have had a sensitivity with less than 10 times the normal dose


You ask for evidence. I lead you to water, but I cannot make you drink.
 















Re: \'iverhart plus\"

What a silly & ridiculous arguement. The only guarantee that matters is what is in writing on the package or on the package insert... it doesn't matter what a person says. And as far as the comment about market share, the game the internet pharmacies are playing changes all the rules about where market share is going, regardless of how market share is now. Type in HeartGard on PetMed and see what happens... their program will spit Iverheart back at you because it is cheaper and clients that shop the internet or shopping on price and convenience. Hospital staff and vets are not good enough sales people to convert those PetMed faxes when they call the client. And if a hospital choses to fight PetMed by denying the client... they are in reality fighting with their client too. It's a bad position for a hospital to be in, and they are not handling it well.

And don't even start with Iverhart isn't guaranteed, or Iverhart & HeartGard aren't guaranteed through internet pharmacies, because you will lose that arguement in a court of law. Whatever it says on the box or insert will be supported (if it says anything) regardless of whether they buy it through a vet, or through PetMed, or at WalMart. Don't get stuck on what your company is telling you, because they have to tell you the company line (and hope it isn't challenged). Death by a thousand paper cuts, and you aren't feeling the cuts yet. And be careful about the previous arguement about HG kills, because that's a no-win situation for either side (HG or Iverhart) because it is the SAME active ingredient.
 









Re: 'iverhart plus"

the generics seem just as good if not better than the name brand, only better because they save you money. Merial (once Merck) got lucky, they got this compound from a Japanese company and this saved them in animal health or they would have been gone years ago. Merial is no better or worse then most pharma companies, some of the things said by their employees are another thing. I go out of my way to not support them due to the caliber of the sales force...very low on the evolutionary latter where honesty counts...they just don't have that word in their manuals. Ask any pharma rep in a competing company, not a distributor, but a manufacturer, the Merial reps in my area all share on common trait, well maybe two, they cry and they lie.
 



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