Anti-parasitic coated feed due to go on the market within weeks

A Canadian biotech company that has applied its proprietary technology to the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to develop a more soluble medicine, Soluvec 1%, is expecting it to go on sale to fish farmers in South Asia in the current quarter.

Mountain Valley MD (MVMD) has granted a licence to a privately held Ontario corporation for the manufacture and distribution of Soluvec for animal husbandry applications in Bangladesh.

MVDM said it had demonstrated through a third-party contract research organisation that Soluvec 1% is 2,500 times more soluble than standard Ivermectin, enhancing its potential efficacy and its ability to be absorbed across multiple applications.

145% production increase

Farmed fish trials were conducted on Indian catfish, pangasius, common carp, tilapia, and rui (ruho) fish species, showed better growth and survival for fish given a feed coated with Soluvec 1%. The trials were conducted by a team of fisheries experts led by Dr Abdullah Al Mahmud of Bangladesh Agricultural University, under the supervision of the country’s Ministry of Fisheries & Livestock.

One group received Soluvec 1% coated standard fish feed, while the control group was given non-Soluvec 1% standard fish feed. The results showed an increase in average daily growth and a reduction in mortality, leading to an overall net average increase in net production of 145%.

The feed conversion ratio also improved by an average of 16% for all fish species treated with Soluvec 1% coated fish feed compared to those receiving non-Soluvec 1% coated fish feed, said MVDM.

The company said its Ontario-based licensee had anticipated bringing Soluvec 1% coated standard fish feed to market in Bangladesh in the second quarter of the 2024 calendar year but is currently navigating start-up delays from challenges sourcing initial raw material inventory needed for manufacturing by approximately 60 days.

Cyclone damage

Delays have been compounded by the recent cyclone Remal in May 2024 that affected West Bengal and Bangladesh in May, causing floods that severely damage fish enclosures, ponds, and related infrastructure, resulting in substantial financial losses for fish farmers.

MVDM says the availability of commercially manufactured samples of Soluvec 1% from Bangladesh will reduce costs and enable several independent evaluation trials to happen simultaneously with potential key partners in a variety of territories.

It has initially filed for patent protection for its Quicksol solubilisation technology in key markets it has deemed strategically important for expansion outside of Bangladesh. MVMD has also filed for Soluvec protection in 12 additional markets outside of the United States. These are Canada, China, India, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and Chile.

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug discovered in 1975, and its first uses were in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis. Approved for human use in 1987, it is used to treat infestations including head lice, scabies, river blindness (onchocerciasis), strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, ascariasis and lymphatic filariasis.