Animal Health News & Notes for January 9, 2009

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for January 9, 2009
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
 
Editor: Lynn Fondon, DVM, MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
 
earnings news
Neogen
 
other news
Abaxis
AviTech
Butler
Mars Veterinary
Merial
MWI
Novartis
Victor Medical
Webster
 
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US ANIMAL HEALTH INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
Registration is now open
 
Brakke Consulting will be presenting its annual US Animal Health Industry Overview at the North American Veterinary Conference and the Western Veterinary Conference in 2009.
 
NAVC Overview
Monday, January 19th
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Gaylord Palms, Orlando  
 
WVC Overview
Monday, February 16th
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Four Seasons, Las Vegas
 
Registration is now open for the NAVC and WVC Overviews.
 
To register, go to www.brakkeconsulting.com and look for the Overview box on the home page.  Payment by major credit card is required at time of registration.
 
www.BrakkeConsulting.com
 
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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES
 
> Neogen Corporation announced net income of $3.9 million for the second quarter of FY 2009 ended Nov. 30, a 20% increase from the previous year’s second quarter. Second quarter revenues increased 15% to $31 million. (company press release)  
 
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
 
> Merial announced it is now the exclusive distributor and technical service provider of the innovative in ovo injection systems of AviTech, LLC. As a result, Merial can now offer world-wide poultry customers its portfolio of avian vaccines together with AviTech’s IntelliJect and ManualJect in ovo injection systems. (PRNewswire)  
 
> Novartis Animal Health announced a donation of $225,000 to the Oklahoma State University Foundation to become the first industry partner of the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology (NCVP). The OSU NCVP will be a national resource for diagnostic testing and will help fill a great need for clinically oriented veterinary parasitologists who can meet current and future demands of the industry.  (company press release) 
 
> Abaxis, Inc. announced that it has entered into a license agreement for co-exclusive worldwide rights in the field of animal health diagnostics in the professional marketplace for certain technologies pertaining to lateral flow immunoassay devices and methods. The license agreement will enable Abaxis to develop and offer point of care tests for animal health in the professional marketplace in both a rotor format and in the popular “strip test” format. (company press release) 
 
> Mars Veterinary announced that veterinary practices can now purchase Wisdom Panel MX through a variety of nationwide distributors. In addition to MWI Veterinary Supply Inc, which has been selling the product since August 2008, Butler Animal Health Supply, Webster Veterinary and Victor Medical Company are now carrying the blood test kits, expanding nationwide availability of the test. The test now detects 153 of the 158 American Kennel Club (AKC) registered dogs plus four breeds found on the AKC’s Foundation List (company press release)
 
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
 
> US – CEM   Testing last week confirmed three stallions in Indiana had positive results for contagious equine metritis, a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses usually resulting in infertility in mares or causing spontaneous abortion. The stallions were tested because they were exposed to a positive stallion at a breeding facility in Kentucky. Four stallions in Kentucky have been confirmed infected with CEM.  (Pal-item.com, Horsetalk)
 
> SCOTLAND   Genesis Faraday, which is based at the Roslin Biocentre, has received GBP 378,000 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to help “animal breeders, farmers and the environment”. The fresh funding will be used in the body’s Knowledge Transfer Network project, which aims to boost understanding between academia and industry.  The project aims to capitalize on Scotland’s world-leading research in animal health, taking products and processes to the market and allow further investment in genetic research. (AnimalNet – the Scotsman)
 
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
 
It appears from the lack of news that many of you are either are still on vacation or in long management meetings trying to figure out the latest 2009 budget rendition.  Or maybe you’re trying to figure out what your pitch is going to be when you ask for a bail-out!!
 
I want to remind all of you that the New Year has started and its’ time to create some positive news.  In preparing our 2009 Animal Health Industry Overview I’m reminded of how we entered 2008 with a lot of enthusiasm for the year, with only the energy cloud (ethanol) hanging over our heads. 
 
In looking back we now see that 2008 was “Reality Check Time.”  It’s obvious now and probably was then that many other industries such as housing, banking/finance, automobiles and energy were living on highly-leveraged borrowed money and time.  The whole house of cards came tumbling down in the fall and we’re all in one way or another impacted negatively by the results.   
 
Everyone wants to know what we think will happen in 2009.  We have a number of thoughts that we will expand upon in our Overview but for now I’d suggest the following to describe 2009:  “It’s adjustment time.” 
 
Happy New Year!!  We’ll see many of you in Orlando.  Travel safe!!
 
Ron Brakke
 
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Brakke Consulting, Inc.
2735 Villa Creek, Suite 140
Dallas, TX  75234    USA