Washington, June 29 (ANI): A new once-in-the-month pill has been found to be effective in controlling both fleas and ticks in dogs and cats, say researchers.

Peter Meinke and colleagues at Merck Research Laboratories obtained the flea and tick fighter from a substance found in a fungus.

“(The substance) has the potential to usher in a new era in the treatment of ecoparasitic [ticks and fleas, for instance] infestations in companion animals,” Live Science quoted the researchers as saying.

When tested on dogs and cats, a single dose of the new pill was found to be 100 percent effective in protecting against fleas and ticks for a month.

Moreover, there were no signs of toxic effects on the animals.

The findings appear in Journal of the Medicinal Chemistry. (ANI)