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POM-VPS Prescription Required

Zermex 0.5% w/v Pour-on Solution for Cattle

Active ingredient: Moxidectin

Form

Spot-on

Species

Cattle

Manufacturer

Zoetis Belgium S.A.

VMD MA No.

60021/3030

What it's used for

Infestations of cattle with parasites sensitive to moxidectin. For the treatment of infestations caused by: - Adult and larval gastro-intestinal nematodes:...

Full indications, dosage and side effects ↓
View official SPC (PDF)

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Paying less for Moxidectin

  1. 1

    Ask your vet for a written prescription

    They must provide one on request. Under the CMA Order the fee is capped at £21 from 2027.

  2. 2

    Fill it at a registered online retailer

    The CMA found online pharmacies 50–60% cheaper than practice dispensing on common medicines — typically £200–£300 a year.

Prescription required

Your vet must provide a written prescription on request. You can then purchase from any licensed online retailer.

Clinical information

Zermex 0.5% w/v Pour-on Solution for Cattle — SPC Details

Source: VMD Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). Last updated 27 Mar 2026.

Infestations of cattle with parasites sensitive to moxidectin.
For the treatment of infestations caused by:
- Adult and larval gastro-intestinal nematodes:
Haemonchus placei
Ostertagia ostertagi
Trichostrongylus axei
Nematodirus helvetianus
Cooperia oncophora
Cooperia punctata (adults)
Oesophagostomum radiatum
Bunostomum phlebotomum
- Adult respiratory tract nematode
Dictyocaulus viviparus
- Warbles (migrating larvae)
Hypoderma bovis
Hypoderma lineatum

Revised: January 2025
AN: 02727/2024
- Lice
Linognathus vituli
Haematopinus eurysternus
Solenopotes capillatus
Bovicola bovis (Damalinia bovis)
- Mange Mites
Sarcoptes scabiei
Psoroptes ovis
Chorioptes bovis
- Horn Flies
Haematobia irritans
In cattle it has a persistent effect in preventing against reinfestation by:
Ostertagia ostertagi
Dictyocaulus viviparus for 6 weeks.
500 µg moxidectin/kg bodyweight (1 ml for 10 kg) as a single topical
application.
To be administered along the midline of the back of the animal from the
withers to the tailhead.
Apply to clean healthy skin.
To ensure administration of a correct dose, bodyweight should be determined
as accurately as possible; accuracy of the dosing device should be checked.
If animals are to be treated collectively rather than individually, they should be
grouped according to their bodyweight and dosed accordingly, in order to
avoid under or over dosing.
Not to be used in other species as severe adverse reactions, including
fatalities in dogs, may occur.
Reactions at the site of application may occur after application in very rare
occasions.
Neurological signs (including ataxia, trembling and lethargy) have been
reported in very rare cases.
The frequency of adverse reactions is defined using the following convention:
- very common (more than 1 in 10 animals treated displaying adverse
reaction(s))
- common (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 100 animals treated)
- uncommon (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 1,000 animals treated)
- rare (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 10,000 animals treated)
- very rare (less than 1 animal in 10,000 animals treated, including isolated
reports).
Care should be taken to avoid the following practices because they increase
the risk of development of resistance and could ultimately result in ineffective
therapy:
•
over an extended period of time.
•
misadministration of the product, or lack of calibration of the dosing
device (if any).
Suspected clinical cases of resistance to anthelmintics should be further
investigated using appropriate tests (e.g. Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test).
Where the results of the test(s) strongly suggest resistance to a particular
anthelmintic, an anthelmintic belonging to another pharmacological class and
having a different mode of action should be used.
To date, no resistance to moxidectin in cattle parasites has been reported.
The use of this product should be based on local (regional, farm)
epidemiological information about susceptibility of the nematodes and
recommendations on how to limit further selection for resistance to
anthelmintics.

Revised: January 2025
AN: 02727/2024

i. Special precautions for use in animals
To avoid secondary reactions due to the death of Hypoderma larvae in
the oesophagus or the spine, it is recommended to administer the
product at the end of the period of fly activity and before the larvae reach
their resting sites: consult the veterinarian to know the correct treatment
period.
For external use only.
For topical application only.
ii. Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the
veterinary medicinal product to animals
Avoid direct contact with skin and eyes.
If splashed in the eye or on the skin, wash with plenty of clean, running
water immediately.
Seek medical advice if irritation persists.
Wear protective clothes and impermeable gloves when applying the
product.
Do not eat, drink or smoke whilst handling the product.
Wash hands after use.
iii. Other precautions regarding impact on the environment
Moxidectin fulfils the criteria for a (very) persistent, bioaccumulative and
toxic (PBT) substance; therefore, exposure of the environment to
moxidectin must be limited to the extent possible. Treatments should be
administered only when necessary and should be based on faecal egg
counts or evaluation of the risk of infestation at the animal and/or herd
level.
Like other macrocyclic lactones, moxidectin has the potential to
adversely affect non-target organisms:
•
animals may temporarily reduce the abundance of dung feeding
organisms. Following treatment of cattle with the product, levels of
moxidectin that are potentially toxic to dung fly species may be
excreted over a period more than 2 weeks and may decrease dung
fly abundance during that period. It has been established in
laboratory tests that moxidectin may temporarily affect dung beetle
reproduction; however, field studies indicate no-long term effects.
Nevertheless, in case of repeated treatments with moxidectin (as
with products of the same anthelmintic class) it is advisable not to
treat animals every time on the same pasture to allow dung fauna
populations to recover.
•
The product should be used only according to the label instructions.
Based on the excretion profile of moxidectin when administered as

Revised: January 2025
AN: 02727/2024
the pour-on formulation, treated animals should not have access to
watercourses during the first week after treatment.
None known.
Do not store above 25°C.
Keep the container in the outer carton.
Protect from light.
If accidentally frozen, shake vigorously before use.
Meat and offal: 14 days.
Milk: 6 days (144 hours).
5.

This information is sourced from the official Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) published by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). It is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Always consult your vet before administering any medication.

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