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  1. Unapproved Animal Drugs

How can I tell if a flea and tick product is approved by FDA as an animal drug or registered by EPA as a pesticide?

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If you’re a small animal veterinarian, you commonly prescribe flea and tick products for your patients. FDA approves some flea and tick products as animal drugs while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registers others as pesticides. You can identify the regulating agency by looking at the product’s label.

An FDA-approved flea and tick product has a six-digit New Animal Drug Application (NADA) or Abbreviated New Animal Drug Application (ANADA) number on the label as part of the following statement: “Approved by FDA under NADA # XXX-XXX” or “Approved by FDA under ANADA # XXX-XXX.”  If you have a question about the product’s approval status, you can follow the tips on how to tell if a drug is legally marketed for animals.

An EPA-registered flea and tick product has an EPA Registration Number (sometimes written as “EPA Reg. No.”) on the label. Another way to determine if a product is registered by EPA is to check EPA’s Pesticide Product and Label System. This system allows you to search using several parameters, including EPA Registration Number, brand name of the product, and company name.

More information from EPA about protecting pets from fleas and ticks.

Unfortunately, counterfeit pet pesticides are a problem in the U.S. Counterfeit flea and tick products are illegally packaged to look like legitimate EPA-registered pet pesticides.

More information from EPA about how to avoid counterfeit pesticide products for dogs and cats.

 
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