Animal Health News & Notes for October 8, 2010

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for October 8, 2010
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
 
Editor: Lynn Fondon, DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
 
Brakke news
acquisitions and licensing
 
other news
Applica Consumer Products
Biogal Galed Labs
Intervet/Schering-Plough
Modern Veterinary Therapeutics
NASSA
OurPet’s Company
Provimi
 
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
 
> Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced the launch of Posatex (1% Orbifloxacin, 0.1% Mometasone Furoate Monohydrate and 0.1% Posaconazole, Otic Suspension), a new once-a-day treatment for otitis in dogs. The seven-day treatment is designed to make compliance easier and bring fast relief to dogs suffering from this painful condition. (company press release) 
 
> Modern Veterinary Therapeutics and Biogal Galed Labs announced that the USDA-Center for Veterinary Biologics has approved Canine VacciCheck diagnostic kit. Canine VacciCheck is indicated for the detection of antibodies to infectious canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus and canine distemper in dog whole blood or serum. Canine VacciCheck is based on the patented ImmunoComb technology and is offered with CombScan software which allows a reading of the results within only a few seconds. (company press release)
 
> OurPet’s Company announced that the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its decision in favor of OurPet’s Company and its SmartScoop Self Scooping Litter Box. The Court’s decision reverses the ITC Commission’s determination of a violation under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and vacated the corresponding exclusion orders and cease and desist orders previously issued in favor of Applica Consumer Products, Inc., the manufacturer of the LitterMaid Automatic Cat Litter Box, in 2009. (Market Wire) 
 
> MEXICO  The Provimi Group announced an agreement to acquire NASSA (Nutricion y Alimentos de Sonora, S.A. de C.V.).  NASSA mainly produces premix, pre-starters, concentrates and complete feed for swine and shrimp; the company also has some smaller product offerings for poultry, ruminants and other species. This acquisition is in line with Provimi’s strategy of increasing its footprint in Latin America. Financial terms were not disclosed. (company press release)
 
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BRAKKE CONSULTING, INC.
ACQUISITIONS AND LICENSING
 
Are you interested in growing your business by purchasing another company, product line or technology?  Have you been thinking about selling your company, product line or technology? Have you considered merging your company with another firm to improve shareholder value?
 
Brakke Consulting, Inc. assisted many clients with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures over the last few years. 
 
For more information, go to www.BrakkeConsulting.com.
 
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
 
> US – COUNTERFEIT PET DRUGS   The FDA has issued a consumer alert to pet owners, warning them about the dangers of buying discounted pet drugs online. The FDA warns that its own investigations have found online companies that sell unapproved drugs or other counterfeit products. The FDA advises pet owners who want to buy online drugs to place orders at sites that are a Vet-VIPPS (Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) accredited pharmacy. (Veterinary Advantage)
 
> US – VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIPS  The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) announced $500,000 in veterinary school loan repayments as the groups continue to battle a growing shortage of food-animal veterinarians.  Each of five recipients received $100,000, to be spread over four years of service in specific areas of need. The Food Animal Veterinarian Recruitment and Retention Pilot Program helps veterinarians practice food-animal medicine for four years in an area experiencing a shortage of veterinary care. (Meating Place)
 
> US – CONSUMER PERCEPTION   The Center for Food Integrity unveiled the results of an annual survey on consumer trust in the food system, reporting that   consumers rate the Humane Society of the United States as the most credible source for information about farm animal care. In addition to the 15.88% of respondents who think HSUS is the most credible source of information about farm-animal care, 12.32% think farm-animal veterinarians are credible sources, followed by 12.02% for USDA representatives and 11.47% for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Farmers who operate large livestock farms were ranked last, with 5.50%. To determine the rankings, consumers were asked not to rank the sources but instead to specify the most credible and the least credible from a given set. (Meating Place)
 
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
 
This week’s news covers some interesting items related to various issues facing the industry. It’s nice to see that the FDA is concerned with unsafe products that might be available to pet owners via the internet and other sources.  There are many companies that spend millions of dollars developing and marketing safe products for companion and food animals.  These companies deserve the support of the FDA in protecting them from individuals and/or firms that are only interested in a quick dollar and have little concern of the harm the illegal drug could do to the animal.
 
We continue to be pleased with the growth that we see occurring in the marketplace this fall including the hiring of new personnel. We hope that we’ll be seeing more new product approvals this fall so that there can be significant new product launches in early 2011.  The industry is dependent on new technology and products for growth. What percentage of your sales revenue in 2010 will come from products in your product line that are more than 3 years old?
 
Have a great weekend!!
 
Ron Brakke
 
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Brakke Consulting, Inc.
2735 Villa Creek, Suite 140
Dallas, TX  75234    USA