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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for March 5, 2010
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
Editor: Lynn Fondon, DVM, MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
Brakke news
Pain Management Products report
earnings news
Del Monte
ImmuCell
PetSmart
other news
Avacta Group
Immunovaccine
Intervet/Schering-Plough
Merial
Pfizer (Immunovaccine)
Pfizer (Bopriva)
PurinaCare
Reactivlab
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BRAKKE CONSULTING, INC.
COMING IN APRIL
2010 PAIN MANAGEMENT PRODUCTS REPORT
Pain management is one of the leading topics in veterinary medicine today. The products represent a substantial market segment with potential still to be tapped.
Brakke Consulting’s annual report on Pain Management Products for Dogs and Cats includes such valuable information as:
– overview of acute and chronic pain in small animals
– review of current products
– estimates of US sales and prices of leading products
– pain management products in development
– review of nutritional supplements used for chronic pain
– review of therapeutic diets for joint care
– 2010 survey of over 200 small animal veterinarians regarding use of pain management products
Pain Management Products for Dogs and Cats 2010 can be purchased for $4,995 if ordered by April 2, 2010. The report will be completed in April. Questions about the study can be answered by project manager Lynn Fondon, DVM, MBA at 972-243-4033, or email Lfondon@brakkeconsulting.com
www.BrakkeConsulting.com
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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES
> ImmuCell Corporation announced the results of its operations for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. Product sales decreased by 3% to $4,506,000; the net loss was $(216,000) during the year in comparison to a net loss of $(469,000), or during 2008. (company website)
> PetSmart, Inc. reported financial results for the fiscal year 2009. For the year, total sales were $5.34 billion, up 5%; comparable store sales grew 1.6% and services sales increased 9%. Net income was $198 million, a 3% increase over the prior year. (company website)
> Del Monte Foods reported results for the third quarter fiscal 2010 ended January 31. Pet Products net sales were $469 million, an increase of 8% over the prior year period. (company website)
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
> A spokesman for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced that Merck & Co. and Sanofi-Aventis SA will decide within a few weeks whether the pharmaceutical makers will combine their animal health units in a joint venture. During its quarterly earnings statement on Feb. 10, Sanofi reported that an Intervet-Merial combination was “highly probable.” (Cattlenetwork.com)
> Immunovaccine Inc. announced that Pfizer Animal Health will exercise a licensing option on the Company’s vaccine enhancement and delivery platform to develop a third livestock vaccine. Immunovaccine’s patented vaccine enhancement platform uses liposomes in an oil depot to present antigens and adjuvants to the immune system. (Marketwatch)
> PurinaCare announced the launch of a Group Benefits Department to offer employers and associations group discounts for providing their employees and members with a turn-key solution for insuring pets with one of the most trusted names in the pet industry. The company’s PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance had been offered at a discount to employees at parent companies Nestle Purina PetCare and Nestle USA and underwriter Central States Indemnity Co. of Omaha, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (company press release)
> UK Avacta Group announced it has acquired Reactivlab, a spin-out of the University of Glasgow’s Veterinary School that was established to develop acute-phase protein (APP) tests for veterinary healthcare. The company will commercialize Reactivlab’s tests immediately through its diagnostic testing laboratory services. Avacta acquired Reactivlab for an initial sum of GBP 80,000 ($120,300) in stock, and will make two further annual payments amounting to 30% and 100% of revenue directly attributable to the acquisition. (Animal Pharm)
> NEW ZEALAND Pfizer Animal Health announced the global launch of a vaccine to control sexual and aggressive behavior in cattle. The vaccine, to be marketed under the Bopriva brand name, is designed to aid the management of cattle in beef production systems. The vaccine is delivered in two doses to stimulate the cattle immune system to produce antibodies to Gonadotropin Releasing Factor (GnRF), responsible for initiating the mechanism that manufactures testosterone in bulls and progesterone and estrogen in heifers. According to the company, Bopriva provides around three to four months of modified behavior in treated bulls. (Animal Pharm)
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
> US – ANIMAL DISEASE FUNDING The US Department of Homeland Security has awarded Kansas State University $12 million for The Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD). CEEZAD will use K-State’s expertise and state-of-the-art infrastructure to conduct research, develop technology, and train a specialized workforce to successfully defend our nation’s agriculture economy against agro-terrorism and emerging animal pathogens. The center will develop and validate vaccines; create innovative devices to detect and diagnose threatening diseases; and help implement systems to curtail human and animal disease threats. (association press release)
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
As we approach the final month in the first quarter of 2010, we’re hearing reasonably positive feedback from the marketplace regarding 2010 sales revenues. However, there are a number of dynamics occurring in various markets that could quickly alter or modify the commercial direction of one or more companies or product lines, and companies and individuals need to be prepared to implement tactical responses to competitive moves. At least it’s not dull!
What will the animal health business look like on December 31, 2010? What is it likely to look like on December 31, 2011? We’d like to suggest that it will look dramatically different than it does today. We appear to be in an era of readjustment and evaluation where the solutions of the past may not be the right ones for today’s marketplace. Our team of experienced consultants can be of assistance in the development of your strategies and tactics.
Stay alert and have a good weekend!!
Ron Brakke
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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
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