Coming soon: PLINAZOLIN® Technology

Practice saying PLINAZOLIN^® technology, because you’ll be saying it a lot in the years ahead.

PLINAZOLIN technology is the trademark of a new, broad-spectrum active ingredient (AI) representing a brand-new class of chemistry and mode of action in the urban pest control market. After years of research and trials, Syngenta will launch this new technology as a cockroach gel bait in 2025 with sprayable and granular bait formulations to follow.

“PLINAZOLIN technology provides the first significant active ingredient and mode of action to be launched in our market in 20 years. This is a big deal for pest control,” said Marshall Gaster, head of marketing for Professional Pest Management (PPM) at Syngenta, North America.

A Revolution for Resistance Management

Because it belongs to a class of chemistry never used before in urban pest control, PLINAZOLIN technology will be a game changer for managing resistant populations of pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes, bed bugs and flies.

“It’s going to be resistance breaking,” said Lisa Eppler, Ph.D., technical services manager for PPM at Syngenta, North America. “Insects that develop resistance to what is currently available on the market are going to be affected by this very easily.”

For cockroach control, a gel bait featuring PLINAZOLIN technology can become an integral part of the product rotation strategy for pest management professionals (PMPs) and a reliable tool to break through resistance problems.

How it Works

PLINAZOLIN technology affects the nervous system of target insects. The AI, isocycloseram, is a GABA antagonist, which blocks a nerve receptor, inhibiting the signal that allows contracted muscles to relax. As a result, an affected insect displays uncoordinated movements, stops feeding and eventually runs out of energy, effectively dying from exhaustion within days.

“All the body parts, especially the legs, keep moving until they have no energy left,” explained Eppler.

The AI works on contact and through ingestion. It has delayed mortality, so pests like cockroaches that eat it can return to their harborage before they die. There, they share the AI with early-instar nymphs and gravid females, which feed on their vomit, feces and carcasses. This secondary and tertiary transfer of the AI is key to eliminating cockroach populations.

Broad Spectrum = Future Formulations

In the years ahead, Syngenta plans to roll out more formulations featuring PLINAZOLIN technology.

“This is the first time in a long time that we’ve seen chemistry that has such broad application in terms of pest control. It’s active on everything from bed bugs to cockroaches to flies to ants. There are so many pests you can control with it,” said Bob Cartwright, Ph.D., product biology lead for PPM at Syngenta, North America.

The chemistry has the potential for a wide range of applications in professional pest management, he explained. It can control public health pests like mosquitoes, mites and ticks that transmit vector-borne disease. It’s also being rolled out to control agricultural, turf and ornamental pests.

PLINAZOLIN technology will give PMPs greater options. “This new technology allows for expansive product opportu-nities and will be a great fit for PMPs because it’s so flexible,” said Eppler. And because the technology works so well, PMPs can expect fewer callbacks, she added.

It also has a strong safety profile as a member of Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) Group 30. The new cockroach gel bait will be designated as reduced risk by the Environmental Protection Agency.^*

This may appeal to people who are wary of chemicals being used in their homes. “This product can give them peace of mind with the excellent safety profile of this technology,” said Eppler.

Seeking the Next Solution

The introduction of PLINAZOLIN technology underscores the Syngenta commitment to research and development (R&D), as well as to the future of the pest management industry.

“There are only a handful of companies left that are committed to R&D and are trying to find new innovations and new chemistry classes with new modes of action. Generic companies don’t do that,” said Eppler, who was part of the global team that developed PLINAZOLIN technology.

Syngenta invests about $1.3 billion a year and has 6,000 experts working in R&D. Scientists scan 100,000 compounds each year to identify a single, viable active ingredient. Further research and testing are required to bring a product to market. The entire process takes 10 to 12 years and costs more than $300 million.

In the case of PLINAZOLIN technology, structural pest control applications were developed alongside agricultural, turf and ornamental applications. The benefits of PLINAZOLIN technology for the pest control industry are not an afterthought.

“Pest control is a very important market for Syngenta,” said Gaster.

Syngenta is committed to helping PMPs succeed. “It’s about having a portfolio of tools and the right formulations, the right chemistries, and continuing to find new ones. That’s what Syngenta is about, and we’re committed to it. We put the investment into it,” said Cartwright.

*A reduced risk pesticide use is defined as one which may reasonably be expected to accomplish one or more of the following; (1) reduces pesticide risks to human health; (2) reduces pesticide risks to non-target organisms; (3) reduces the potential for contamination of valued, environmental resources, or (4) broadens adoption of IPM or makes it more effective. PLINAZOLIN technology qualifies under one or more of the above criteria.

© 2024 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties and/or may have state-specific use requirements. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration and proper use. PLINAZOLIN is not yet registered for sale or use in the U.S. and is not being offered for sale. Advion®, For Life Uninterrupted™, PLINAZOLIN® and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective third-party owners. Syngenta Customer Center: 1-866-SYNGENT(A) (796-4368).