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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for March 19, 2010
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
Editor: Lynn Fondon, DVM, MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
Brakke news
Pain Management Products report
other news
ECO Animal Health
Farnam
Jinhe Biotechnology
Novartis
Nutreco
Pharmgate
Spectrum Brands
Vet-Stem
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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 an estimated 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 NEWS RELEASES
> Farnam announced the return to the market of Horse Health Equine Ivermectin Paste 1.87%. (company press release)
> Spectrum Brands announced that its common stock has begun trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “SPB”. Prior to today’s listing, Company shares have been trading as “SPEB” on the OTC Bulletin Board since September 2009. (Business Wire)
> Vet-Stem, Inc. announced that the US Navy, Office of Naval Research, has awarded a contract to Vet-Stem to engage in a collaborative study of stem cell biology in marine mammals. The company will apply its expertise in isolating and working with adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) from animals, including horses, dogs, cats and more exotic species. (PRNewswire)
> Pharmgate LLC, part of Jinhe Biotechnology Ltd of China, and ECO Animal Health Ltd announced the formation of Pharmgate Animal Health LLC. This jointly-owned company will distribute its owners’ veterinary products in the North American livestock and poultry markets. (company press release)
> UK Novartis announced the UK launch of Zolvix (monepantel) anthelmintic drench for sheep. Zolvix belongs to a new class of anthelmintics known as Amino-Acetonitrile Derivatives (AADs) which are effective against roundworms, including resistant strains. (FarmingUK)
> AUSTRALIA Nutreco announced that its subsidiary Skretting will invest EUR 20 million to upgrade and expand the capacity of its fish feed plant in Tasmania, Australia. The investment will double the capacity to 120,000 metric tons per year. (Feedstuffs)
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
> US – EPA ACTION The US Environmental Protection Agency announced that is taking a series of actions to increase the safety of spot-on pesticide products for flea and tick control for cats and dogs. Immediately, EPA will begin reviewing labels to determine which ones need stronger and clearer labeling statements. Next, EPA will develop more stringent testing and evaluation requirements for both existing and new products. The EPA’s actions follow an increase in incident reports from flea and tick products in 2008. To see the complete EPA press release, click here. (Feedstuffs)
> US – FOOD ANIMAL INITIATIVE The American Veterinary Medical Association and American Veterinary Medical Foundation will launch the Food Animal Veterinarian Recruitment and Retention Program, an economic assistance program that provides student loan debt forgiveness for veterinarians who meet the requirements, on April 1, 2010. Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Elanco Animal Health, Fort Dodge (Pfizer), Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Pfizer Animal Health, and Phibro Animal Health all have contributed funds to make the program possible. The AVMF will administer the application process and payments. The Foundation will also assist the selection committee in choosing recipients. (JAVMA News)
> US – ANIMAL WELFARE A coalition of dairy groups announced the launch of a statewide program to promote and verify responsible animal care on California’s 1,750 family dairy farms. Known as the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management, the new program is designed to assist farmers in demonstrating their ethical treatment of dairy livestock animals and create consistency of dairy animal care practices across the country. As the nation’s leader in milk production, California dairy farmers are among the first in the nation to adopt the effort. (Feedstuffs)
> NETHERLANDS – ANTIBIOTIC USE The Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Medicine (KNMvD) is advising veterinarians not to prescribe cephalosporins for use in poultry. The decision comes in response to growing concern about the prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) carrying bacteria in chickens. (Animal Pharm)
> US – HOG HERD REDUCTION ThePigSite.com reported that the North American hog breeding herd is down by 4% on 2008 to 7.19 million head. The total of all hogs and pigs is down by 2% to 77.4 million. (ThePigSite.com)
> RUSSIA – US PORK IMPORTS The US Agriculture Secretary announced that the US and Russia had reached an agreement to reopen the Russian market to US pork and pork products. Pork exports to Russia in 2008 totaled 480 million pounds valued at $476 million. (ThePigSite.com)
> CHINA – US PORK IMPORTS The US Agriculture Secretary announced that the US and China have reached an agreement to reopen the Chinese market to US pork and pork products. China agreed in principle to remove its ban on US products in October, 2009. Prior to H1N1 trade constraints, US pork and pork variety meats exports to China were valued at nearly $275 million in 2008, representing the US’ seventh largest market. (Meating Place)
> US – VETERINARY PROFESSION STATISTICS New market research statistics released by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) indicate that women in its membership finally have tipped the scales to become the majority. Veterinary schools now enroll about 70 to 80 percent female students, according to reports from the colleges. (DVM360)
> US – PET HEALTH INITIATIVE The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has partnered with WebMD to launch an online pet health community, Pet Health Exchange. The website enables members of the public to discuss pet health with AVMA veterinarians, and aims to improve pet owners’ understanding of animal health. (AVMA)
> JAPAN – VACCINE RESEARCH Japanese research published in the journal Insect Molecular Biology has shown that the genetic modification of an insect disease vector could convert the organism from a means of pathogen transmission to a means of promoting host immunity to the disease agent. The research team successfully generated a transgenic Anopheles mosquito that expressed the Leishmania vaccine (SP15) within its saliva. In laboratory tests, mice bitten by these modified insects raised antibodies to the SP15 protein. (Animal Pharm)
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Animal Agriculture Alliance
9th Annual Stakeholders Summit
April 28-29, 2010
The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s Ninth Annual Stakeholders Summit will be held on April 28 – 29 in Arlington, Virginia. This year’s topic is “Truth, Lies and Videotape: Is Activism Jeopardizing our Food Security?” Learn about tactics that activists are using against America’s food producers, including legislation, lawsuits and manipulation of the media.
For more information or to register for the event, go to www.animalagalliance.org.
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
We begin our comments this week with a correction from last week’s Viewpoint. We erroneously referred to the newly announced joint venture between Intervet/Schering-Plough as “the new Merial.” In fact, no decision has been made on the name of the joint venture. According to the companies, announcements about governance and other matters for the new JV, such as the company name and the JV’s new executive staff and headquarters, will be made jointly by sanofi-aventis and Merck at a later date.
It appears that many of you are enjoying your spring break, though the weather in most parts of the US has not cooperated. In my travels and interfaces this past week I find that a number of you share our concern over the lack of new product introductions to help fuel the growth of the industry. While we understand the need for safe products and food, the timelines and costs of obtaining EPA or FDA approvals are slowly strangling the industry. Finger pointing will not resolve the issues, so there needs to be some serious dialogue between the regulatory agencies and industry. Who will start it and when?
Have a great weekend!!
Ron Brakke
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Brakke Consulting, Inc.
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