Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN), an American animal health company, announced on Monday that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved label expansions for Elanco's canine parasiticides Credelio Quattro and Credelio.

The updated labels add prevention of Lyme disease as a direct result of killing black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and treatment and control of longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) infestations.

Both products contain the active ingredient lotilaner, which the company says is highly effective at killing black-legged ticks and demonstrated 100% efficacy against longhorned tick at 48 hours in a peer-reviewed study.

The Companion Animal and Parasite Council tracker shows more than 422,000 cases of Lyme disease in dogs in the United States so far this year, surpassing total annual cases seen in 2019.

Elanco emphasised the rising threat from ticks, noting the longhorned tick is rapidly spreading and now present in 22 US states. Company executives have characterised the label expansion as enhanced protection for dogs and a response to this increasing tick-borne disease risk.