Orbax Suspension

RX required for this item. Click here for our full Prescription Policy and Form

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by Merck Animal Health 

Merck Animal Health has launched a once-a-day, malt-flavored oral antibiotic for cats and small dogs. The product, Orbax (orbifloxacin) Oral Suspension, is designed to make it easier and more convenient for pet owners to administer the medicine to their dog or cat.

“We are constantly seeking ways to keep pets healthy, safe and happy and make the job easier for their care providers,” said Steve Shell, head of the Companion Animal Business Unit.

“Orbax Oral Suspension’s innovative technology in both formulation and dispensing can make all the difference in supporting recovery from serious infection.”

Why Orbax Oral Suspension?

• Administered once-a-day
• Unique press-in dispensing system (3 mL syringe with 0.25 mL markings)
• Makes dosing easy and accurate, administration mess-free
• No refrigeration needed
• Ready to use, no need to reconstitute, simply shake well

New! Taste-Masking Technology

• Orbifloxacin is bound to a patented taste-masking agent so it passes taste buds undetected, then is released in the low pH environment of the stomach. Cats and dogs taste the malt flavor, not the antibiotic.

The product, as the company described it, features a patented, taste-masking ion exchange agent that enables the orbifloxacin to pass by an animal’s taste buds undetected and then be released in the low pH environment of the stomach.

The malt-flavored oral suspension is readily accepted by 95 percent of cats and 96 percent of dogs, according to Merck Animal Health.

The product, which does not require refrigeration, also features a ready-to-use “press-in” dispensing system to ensure accurate, “neat” dosing, according to the company. The medication can be detected throughout the body within a few hours after administration.

Orbax Oral Suspension has rapid, broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive organisms, according to the company. The product is indicated for skin infections (wound and abscesses) in cats and skin, soft tissue and urinary tract infections (cystitis) in dogs.

The company noted that Orbax Oral Suspension is in the quinolone family of antibiotics, which have been shown to cause arthropathy (joint disease) in immature animals. In animals with known or suspected CNS disorders, quinolones have been associated with CNS stimulation, which may lead to convulsive seizures. The use of fluoroquniolones in cats has been reported to adversely affect the retina and should be used with caution in cats, according to the company.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: Shake Well Before Use. BEFORE INITIAL USE, remove the cap and insert the syringe adaptor by pressing firmly into top of bottle. Insert the syringe tip into the adaptor opening and invert the bottle. Withdraw the required amount of medication with the calibrated syringe. After use, replace cap, leaving adaptor in the bottle, and rinse the syringe with water.

The dose of ORBAX^® Oral Suspension in the dog is 1.1 to 3.4 mg/lb (2.5 to 7.5 mg/kg) of body weight administered once daily (See Drug interactions and Animal Safety). The determination of dosage for any particular patient must take into consideration such factors as the severity and nature of the infection, the susceptibility of the causative organism, and the integrity of the patient’s host-defense mechanisms. Antibiotic susceptibility of the pathogenic organism(s) should be determined prior to use of this preparation. Therapy with ORBAX^® Oral Suspension may be initiated before results of these tests are known. Once results become available, continue with appropriate therapy.

For the treatment of skin infections, ORBAX^® Oral Suspension should be given for two (2) to three (3) days beyond the cessation of clinical signs to a maximum of 30 days. For the treatment of urinary tract infections, ORBAX^® Oral Suspension should be administered for at least 10 consecutive days. If no improvement is seen within five (5) days, the diagnosis should be re-evaluated and a different course of therapy considered.

RX required for this item. Click here for our full Prescription Policy and Form

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Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has launched a once-a-day, malt-flavored oral antibiotic for cats and small dogs. The product, Orbax (orbifloxacin) Oral Suspension, is designed to make it easier and more convenient for pet owners to administer the medicine to their dog or cat.

“We are constantly seeking ways to keep pets healthy, safe and happy and make the job easier for their care providers,” said Steve Shell, head of the Companion Animal Business Unit.

“Orbax Oral Suspension’s innovative technology in both formulation and dispensing can make all the difference in supporting recovery from serious infection.”

Why Orbax Oral Suspension?

• Administered once-a-day
• Unique press-in dispensing system (3 mL syringe with 0.25 mL markings)
• Makes dosing easy and accurate, administration mess-free
• No refrigeration needed
• Ready to use, no need to reconstitute, simply shake well

New! Taste-Masking Technology

• Orbifloxacin is bound to a patented taste-masking agent so it passes taste buds undetected, then is released in the low pH environment of the stomach. Cats and dogs taste the malt flavor, not the antibiotic.

 

The product, as the company described it, features a patented, taste-masking ion exchange agent that enables the orbifloxacin to pass by an animal’s taste buds undetected and then be released in the low pH environment of the stomach.

The malt-flavored oral suspension is readily accepted by 95 percent of cats and 96 percent of dogs, according to Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

The product, which does not require refrigeration, also features a ready-to-use “press-in” dispensing system to ensure accurate, “neat” dosing, according to the company. The medication can be detected throughout the body within a few hours after administration.

Orbax Oral Suspension has rapid, broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive organisms, according to the company. The product is indicated for skin infections (wound and abscesses) in cats and skin, soft tissue and urinary tract infections (cystitis) in dogs.

The company noted that Orbax Oral Suspension is in the quinolone family of antibiotics, which have been shown to cause arthropathy (joint disease) in immature animals. In animals with known or suspected CNS disorders, quinolones have been associated with CNS stimulation, which may lead to convulsive seizures. The use of fluoroquniolones in cats has been reported to adversely affect the retina and should be used with caution in cats, according to the company.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: Shake Well Before Use. BEFORE INITIAL USE, remove the cap and insert the syringe adaptor by pressing firmly into top of bottle. Insert the syringe tip into the adaptor opening and invert the bottle. Withdraw the required amount of medication with the calibrated syringe. After use, replace cap, leaving adaptor in the bottle, and rinse the syringe with water.

The dose of ORBAX^® Oral Suspension in the dog is 1.1 to 3.4 mg/lb (2.5 to 7.5 mg/kg) of body weight administered once daily (See Drug interactions and Animal Safety). The determination of dosage for any particular patient must take into consideration such factors as the severity and nature of the infection, the susceptibility of the causative organism, and the integrity of the patient’s host-defense mechanisms. Antibiotic susceptibility of the pathogenic organism(s) should be determined prior to use of this preparation. Therapy with ORBAX^® Oral Suspension may be initiated before results of these tests are known. Once results become available, continue with appropriate therapy.

For the treatment of skin infections, ORBAX^® Oral Suspension should be given for two (2) to three (3) days beyond the cessation of clinical signs to a maximum of 30 days. For the treatment of urinary tract infections, ORBAX^® Oral Suspension should be administered for at least 10 consecutive days. If no improvement is seen within five (5) days, the diagnosis should be re-evaluated and a different course of therapy considered.