--- description: A new study shows that drugs used in pets could also be used in humans to prevent spread of diseases like malaria and Zika. title: How a Drug For Pets May Help Prevent Zika and Malaria image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b9b903c199c34b2/69893433656a3f5b6abd4d3c/mosquitoes.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Innovation Health](/tag/innovation-health/) ## Innovation Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How a Drug For Pets May Help Prevent Zika and Malaria ## Video: Diseases Spread By Insects Have More Than Tripled, CDC Says [Watch (HLS stream): Diseases Spread By Insects Have More Than Tripled, CDC Says](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/P8e3ulwD.m3u8) (1:28)  _Published 2018-05-01. In the United States, diseases spread by mosquito, flea and tick bites tripled from 2004 to 2016, federal health officials say in a new report_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 2, 2018 7:00 PM CUT  Malaria mosquitoes killed by an isoxazoline drug. Malaria mosquitoes killed by an isoxazoline drug.TropIQ Health Sciences, photographer: Martien Schouten by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 2, 2018 7:00 PM CUT Diseases spread by pests like [mosquitoes](http://time.com/5119151/zika-birth-defects-cdc/ "undefined") and [fleas](http://time.com/4836691/what-is-the-plague/ "undefined") remain global health problems. To prevent transmission, public health strategy has largely focused on using insecticides or bed nets. Vaccines are also [under development](http://time.com/4858491/zika-vaccine-birth-defects/ "undefined") for diseases like [Zika](http://time.com/4908546/zika-pregnant-women-immune-system/ "undefined"), but few are approved for use. Now, a new study suggests that medicines already used for pets to protect against fleas and ticks could offer similar protection for humans. In the report, published Monday in the journal [_Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences_](http://www.pnas.org/ "undefined"), researchers at the nonprofit drug discovery institute Calibr and TropIQ Health Sciences report that drugs called isoxazolines, which are currently sold as veterinary products like fluralaner (Bravecto) and afoxolaner (NexGard), might also work in humans to kill off pests like mosquitoes that spread diseases like Zika and malaria. To reach these findings, the researchers tested fluralaner and afoxolaner on disease-spreading mosquitoes and sand fleas and found that the drugs were effective at killing off the insects that consumed the compounds through samples of human blood. Using computer modeling, the researchers then estimated that giving isoxazoline drugs to about a third of people living in areas prone to outbreaks of [Zika](http://time.com/5241521/zika-virus-pregnancy/ "undefined") could prevent up to 97% of infections. In areas where malaria is seasonal, like Senegal, Sudan, Madagascar, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, the researchers estimated that giving the drug to about a third of people in those areas could prevent more than 70% of new cases. “That’s pretty dramatic if you think about it \[being used\] in a disaster-like scenario,” says senior study author Matt Tremblay, the chief operating officer of Calibr and Scripps Research (which is affiliated with Calibr). When used in animals, the drugs kill off pests by harming the insects’ nervous systems. If it proves safe and effective in humans, the researchers suggest that when a disease-spreading bug bites a person taking the medication, that insect would die before they could bite another person. The researchers also estimate that a single oral dose of under 500 mg of the drugs could provide protection for 50 to 90 days in humans. The researchers say more studies are needed to prove the safety and effectiveness of isoxazolines for humans, but the fact that the drugs are already on the market for animals could shave about two to three years off the usual drug-development process. The researchers are in the early stages of planning a phase I study in healthy volunteers. Tremblay says he and his co-authors are largely focused on how the drugs could benefit the developing world and areas with less access to modern medical infrastructure. However, they envision a possible benefit for other regions, too. “I do think having it available as a reactive countermeasure in places like Florida and South America is something that’s viable,” he says. “We are definitely considering both developed and developing world applications.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5325775/zika-malaria-pet-medicine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5325775/zika-malaria-pet-medicine/"},"headline":"How a Drug For Pets May Help Prevent Zika and Malaria","datePublished":"2018-07-02T19:00:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:43:37.038Z","description":"It could halt the spread of some mosquito-borne diseases","url":"https://time.com/5325775/zika-malaria-pet-medicine/","keywords":["Innovation Health","Public Health","healthytime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b9b903c199c34b2/69893433656a3f5b6abd4d3c/mosquitoes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b9b903c199c34b2/69893433656a3f5b6abd4d3c/mosquitoes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"mosquitoes","caption":"Malaria mosquitoes killed by an isoxazoline drug.","creditText":"TropIQ Health Sciences, photographer: Martien Schouten","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/innovation-health/","name":"Innovation Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5325775/zika-malaria-pet-medicine/","name":"How a Drug For Pets May Help Prevent Zika and Malaria"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Diseases Spread By Insects Have More Than Tripled, CDC Says","description":"In the United States, diseases spread by mosquito, flea and tick bites tripled from 2004 to 2016, federal health officials say in a new report","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/P8e3ulwD/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-05-01T19:52:04.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/P8e3ulwD.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5325775/zika-malaria-pet-medicine/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5325775/zika-malaria-pet-medicine/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```