Update (June 21, 2026): Single-Dose Fluralaner Cured Canine Sarcoptic Mange by Day 28 in a Blinded Trial

TL;DR

A 2026 randomized, double-blind study found a fluralaner-based oral tablet cured naturally acquired sarcoptic mange in dogs with a single dose, reaching 100% mite elimination by Day 28, while the sarolaner comparator required retreatment to reach 100% by Day 44.

What just dropped

• Cruz and colleagues (2026, Parasites & Vectors, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41724992) ran two randomized, double-blind clinical studies in naturally infested dogs comparing a new fluralaner palatable tablet with a sarolaner-based reference product.
• Against Sarcoptes scabiei, the fluralaner group showed a significant reduction in mite counts from Day 14 (p = 0.022) and reached 100% efficacy by Day 28 without retreatment; the sarolaner control reduced mites significantly from Day 7 (p = 0.045) but required retreatment to reach 100% efficacy by Day 44.
• Against Otodectes cynotis (ear mites), the fluralaner group reached 94.1% efficacy by Day 14 and 100% from Day 21, and the control reached 100% by Day 14.
• The authors highlight the ability to achieve complete cure of sarcoptic mange with a single dose as the main practical advantage.

Context

Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious, intensely pruritic, and zoonotic, so a regimen that reliably clears mites with the fewest administrations is clinically attractive. A critically appraised topic on systemic treatment of canine scabies has already established that the isoxazoline class — afoxolaner, fluralaner and sarolaner — alongside macrocyclic lactones can all achieve parasitological and clinical cure (https://europepmc.org/article/MED/37798627). The new single-centre data add a direct, blinded comparison suggesting that a single fluralaner dose may simplify management relative to a comparator that needed a second treatment, though the authors note the small sample and call for further trials to confirm.

What this changes in Fluralaner (Bravecto) for Canine Generalized Demodicosis

The fluralaner evergreen already covers Demodex; this study extends the same molecule's acaricidal performance to sarcoptic and otodectic mange in a head-to-head design, reinforcing single-dose convenience as a class talking point while underscoring that comparative isoxazoline data are still emerging.

References

1. Cruz BC, Teixeira MB, de Melo Cruz GA, et al. 2026. Efficacy of a fluralaner-based ectoparasiticide for the control of otodectic and sarcoptic mange in naturally infested dogs, evaluated in randomized, double-blind clinical studies. Parasit Vectors 19(1):107. https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41724992
2. Dumitrache MO, Cadiergues MC. 2023. The most effective systemic treatment in dogs with sarcoptic mange: a critically appraised topic. BMC Vet Res 19(1):189. https://europepmc.org/article/MED/37798627 [via]

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