Leading animal health company Elanco has announced the Australian launch of CLiK Duostar, the first dicyclanil-based product to prevent and treat blowfly strike.
Elanco brand manager – sheep, David Rathbone, says CLiK Duostar is a welcome addition to the market-leading CLiK portfolio of blowfly strike preventatives.
“Australian sheep and wool producers have relied on CLiK Spray-On and CLiK Extra from Elanco for long-lasting protection against blowfly strike for more than 25 years,” David says.
“CLiK Duostar builds on this reputation by combining dual active ingredients and dual modes of action for the dual prevention and treatment of blowfly strike,” he says.
CLiK Duostar is a unique combination of 50g/L dicyclanil and 3g/L ivermectin, two proven active ingredients used for the prevention and/or treatment of blowfly strike.
It is registered for protection against blowfly strike for 18–24 weeks when applied off-shears or to sheep with any length wool; treatment of existing blowfly strike; and protection of mulesing and marking wounds during the wound healing process. 1
“Dicyclanil is the same active ingredient found in CLiK Extra and CLiK, which have set the benchmark for season-long protection against flystrike for more than 25 years,” David explains.
“Ivermectin is a trusted jetting solution for knockdown and residual protection against blowfly strike.
“Importantly, dicyclanil and ivermectin are from different chemical families and have completely different modes of action.
“Dicyclanil is an insect growth regulator that prevents first-stage larvae from moulting into damaging second-stage maggots and maturing into adult flies.
“Ivermectin in a macrocyclic lactone chemical that interferes with neuromuscular signals, causing immediate and permanent paralysis of first, second and third-stage maggots.”
Like all CLiK products, CLiK Duostar is best applied early in the season to provide season-long protection against blowfly strike.
“However, unlike other dicyclanil-based products, CLiK Duostar also provides knockdown control of maggots when applied directly to the area of active strike,” David says.
“Existing strikes located 10cm or more from the application area should be treated with additional 5mL of CLiK Duostar applied directly onto the area of active strike.
“Remove wool using clippers or shears from areas with existing visible strikes before application.”
CLiK Duostar can be applied using a 10mL or 15mL manual fan spray applicator, or a Genesis Power Doser fitted with a 30mL fan spray nozzle.
David says CLiK Duostar delivers more active ingredient than any other dicyclanil product when applied for the prevention of body and breech strike.
“In fact, CLiK Duostar delivers 33.3% more dicyclanil than CLiK and 2.3% more dicyclanil than CLiK Extra when applied for prevention of body and breech strike on >50 kg sheep. 1
“Coverage has also been improved with the introduction of a four-band application pattern across five liveweight ranges for the prevention of body and breech strike.
“These improvements have been achieved without any change to the Wool Harvesting Interval or Export Slaughter Interval compared to CLiK Extra.” 1
Blowfly strike remains a serious animal welfare issue in the sheep and wool industry.
It is estimated to cost the industry almost $324 million each year in production losses and treatment costs. 2
CLiK Duostar follows hot on the heels of the launch of Elanco’s Cyrex PS Liquid earlier this year.
“The vast majority of sheep and wool producers either apply a spray-on or jetting fluid before or at the start of the blowfly season,” Dave says.
“Elanco now markets dual-active solutions for either application method.”
Cyrex PS Liquid combines 12.5g/L spinosad and 500g/L cyromazine, the active ingredients found in Extinosad Eliminator and Vetrazin Liquid, respectively.
It is registered for the prevention of blowfly strike, treatment of existing strike and the control of lice in long wool for 8-11 weeks.
“Cyrex Liquid provides a welcome alternative to older, single-active jetting fluids by combining the rapid knockdown and spectrum of Extinosad Eliminator with the long-lasting protection of Vetrazin,” he says.
The addition of CLiK Duostar and Cyrex Liquid has reinforced Elanco’s position as a major player in the sheep parasiticide market.
Other products in Elanco’s sheep portfolio include Zolvix Plus broad spectrum sheep drench; and Extinosad Pour-On and Viper Pour-On sheep lousicides.
Always read and follow the label directions. Good agricultural practice is essential for optimal prevention and treatment of blowfly strike.
References: 1. Refer to registered labels. 2. Shephard, R. et al. (2022). Priority list of endemic diseases for the red meat industry – 2022 Update. Meat & Livestock Australia. Report B.AHE.0327. CLiK Duostar contains 50 g/L dicyclanil and 3 g/L ivermectin. Vetrazin® is a registered trademark of Pharmsmart Australia. Power Doser™ is a trademark of Genesis Industries Australia. CLiK™, Cyrex™, Duostar™, Elanco and the diagonal bar logo are trademarks of Elanco or its affiliates. ©2025 Elanco or its affiliates. EAH25677. PM-AU-25-0783.
