************************************
Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for October 9, 2009
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
Editor: Lynn Fondon, DVM, MBA
************************************
IN THE NEWS:
Brakke news
Due Diligence Seminar
Cancer in Dogs and Cats report – last week for discount!
Equine Market Megastudy II
other news
Abaxis
Alltech
DermaPet
IDEXX
Neogen
Nutramax Labs
Nutro
PurinaCare Insurance Services
Ridley
Venomix
Vestaron
***********************************
NEW STUDY: CANCER IN DOGS AND CATS
LAST WEEK FOR EARLY-ORDER DISCOUNT
In 2002, Brakke Consulting published an overview of the treatment of cancer in dogs and cats. We are pleased to announce that an update of this highly regarded report will be completed in October 2009.
The 2009 Cancer Study will include up-to-the-minute information on the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of the common veterinary cancers. The study includes a survey of over 200 general veterinary practitioners as well as interviews with veterinary oncologists. Reviews of new and developing veterinary cancer chemotherapeutics are included in the report as well.
The report is priced at $8,500, but pre-publication orders placed by October 16 will be eligible for a discounted price of $7,000.
For more information, please visit our website at www.BrakkeConsulting.com or contact Dr. Lynn Fondon at lfondon@brakkeconsulting.com .
************************************
COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
> Nutramax Labs announced the introduction of Proviable EQ, a digestive aid containing Saccharomyces yeast species plus prebiotics to encourage normal gastrointestinal function and health in horses. (company news)
> Neogen Corporation announced the formation of a new subsidiary in Brazil, Neogen do Brasil. The new company, headquartered near Sao Paulo, will distribute Neogen’s food safety products throughout Brazil. (company press release)
> DermaPet announced the release of two new products: TrizCHLOR 4 Shampoo and TrizCHLOR Spray for dogs, cats and horses. The patented TrizCHLOR 4 combines chlorhexidine’s effects against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms with tris-EDTA’s effects against gram-negative organisms. (company press release)
> IDEXX introduced its latest RealPCR test for canine leptospirosis to help veterinarians diagnose a potentially life threatening disease sooner, often prior to seroconversion. (company website)
> Abaxis, Inc. announced the launch of the first fully automated canine wellness profile that includes a canine heartworm antigen test. The Canine Heartworm Antigen Test is now available on the company’s VetScan VS2 fully automated instrument. (company website)
> Ridley Inc. announced that it has acquired manufacturing equipment and certain intellectual property rights of Golden Lyk, LLC, and its parent company, Denco, LLC, that are used in the production of compressed feed blocks for livestock. The assets acquired from Golden Lyk and Denco will expand Ridley’s product offering in livestock feed blocks and improve Ridley’s access to key customers in the U.S. Midwestern states. Financial terms were not disclosed. (company website)
> Nutro announced it has voluntarily recalled some of its petfoods because of the possibility of plastic pieces being in bags of kibble. The puppy foods affected are Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice & Oatmeal Puppy, Nutro Ultra Puppy and Nutro Ultra Puppy. (Petfood Industry enews)
> PurinaCare Insurance Services announced that it has selected Central States Indemnity Company, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., as the new underwriter of its pet health insurance policies. (company press release)
> Venomix Inc., a biotechnology company developing insecticides from peptides found in spider venom, announced it has changed its name to Vestaron Corp. (Veterinary Practice News)
> EU Alltech announced that its Yea-Sacc1026, a live yeast culture based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 1026, has been granted full European Union authorization as a feed additive for horses. (company website)
************************************
NEW BRAKKE CONSULTING STUDY:
EQUINE MARKET MEGASTUDY II
NOW AVAILABLE!
A comprehensive new national survey of 1,000 US horse owners for the first time estimates the market size for more than a dozen categories of widely used products. It also shows that the current US recession has had a material, negative impact on horse ownership and product sales.
The study, Equine Market MegaStudy II, includes more than 400 brands in 14 separate product categories. It examined what brands were purchased, how often they were purchased, where they were purchased, and the amount of money spent.
The 200-page report also includes extensive data on horse owner demographics, media usage, event participation and shopping habits. The research was conducted by Brakke Consulting and The Pert Group (a recent merger of Market Directions, Pert Survey Research and Pulsar Research and Consulting).
Equine Market MegaStudy II is now available for $9,900. For more information or to order a report visit our website or contact jvolk@brakkeconsulting.com, (773) 327-4941.
www.BrakkeConsulting.com
***********************************
ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
> US – VENTURE FUNDING The Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) approved a commitment to invest $50 million in eight private venture capital funds to innovative Kansas bioscience businesses. To qualify for KBA investment, the eight funds are required to have a substantial presence in the state, including establishing Kansas offices. Additionally, the fund managers must each raise a minimum of $25 million from private and institutional sources, effectively leveraging the KBA’s investment to $250 million. The funds chosen to receive funds provide a range of expertise in the bioscience sectors in which Kansas has existing strengths: animal health, bioenergy, biomaterials, plant biology, and human health. (association press release)
> US – PESTICIDE REGULATION The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with a plan to disclose the identities of all inert ingredients in pesticides including those that are potentially hazardous. This increased transparency will assist consumers and users of pesticides in making informed decisions and will better protect public health and the environment. Pesticide manufacturers typically disclose their inert ingredients only to EPA. (APPA News)
> US – HUMAN ANIMAL BOND The Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars, announced it has committed more than $2 million to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for human animal interaction research. The donation will be combined with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to form what the Institute claims is the first formal program in human-animal interaction. Clinical trials will focus on the role animals play in both physical and psychological therapeutic treatments for humans. (Veterinary Practice News)
************************************
BRAKKE CONSULTING, INC.
DUE DILIGENCE SEMINAR
OCTOBER 27 – 28, 2009
KANSAS CITY
ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE
Brakke Consulting announces a two day seminar covering the details of due diligence, a key element in the successful acquisition of companies, assets and intellectual property.
The seminar is designed to increase a company’s probability of success in a purchase or sale by providing the details to ensure that all the important phases of the due diligence process are included. Speakers at the Brakke seminar will include Ron Brakke, John Mannhaupt and Joel Adamson, Brakke personnel who are well experienced in due diligence, as well as outside speakers from the finance industry and the legal profession.
For more information on the seminar or to register, visit our website at www.BrakkeConsulting.com
************************************
BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
When we first started our consulting business in 1986, we were still in the middle of the biotech revolution, where almost any company or individual with some technology that they could call biotech was able to get funding. It was a great investment period when life sciences in general thrived because of the availability of capital. Then, for a number of reasons, the interest in investment in animal health and other food-related businesses became the step-child to the human pharma and diagnostic businesses. There was a period of several years when it was almost impossible to find funding for animal health.
Thankfully we’ve seen that gradually changing in the past couple of years. We were pleased to be a sponsor and part of the first Animal Health Investment Forum that met in Kansas City in early September. It was a great success and provided both start-up companies and investors with the opportunity to view some of the new animal health technologies of the future.
The announcement yesterday by the Kansas Bioscience Authority that they intend to invest $50 million in eight private venture capital funds, to be leveraged into $250 million for investment in life sciences – including animal health – in the Kansas area provides additional momentum to the already rapidly expanding Kansas City Animal Health Corridor. Brakke Consulting is pleased to be a part of this activity with our office in Lenexa, Kansas. We look forward to working with start-up companies and investors in the creation of new innovative products for the future.
Have a good weekend!!
Ron Brakke
************************************
This electronic newsletter is the sole property of Brakke Consulting, Inc.
Any use of the contents herein should be approved by and appropriately attributed to Brakke Consulting, Inc.
For more information about Brakke Consulting’s services and syndicated studies, visit our website at www.brakkeconsulting.com.
Brakke Consulting, Inc.
2735 Villa Creek, Suite 140
Dallas, TX 75234 USA
English (United States) 
Portuguese