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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for June 29, 2012
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
Brakke news
sales training
other news
Center Pet Pharmacies
Mars Petcare
Merck
Merial
Nutro
Pfizer
Veterinary Products Laboratories
Virbac
Winn-Dixie
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BRAKKE CONSULTING, INC.
SALES FORCE TRAINING
Is your sales organization ready to meet the demands of the changing animal health environment?
The animal health industry is experiencing significant change and these forces are shifting the way veterinarians practice medicine and manage their practices.
Today’s top sales representatives must not only understand the current environment but have situation fluency and be prepared to offer customized solutions for the entire practice. Product-centric selling is no longer effective!
A Brakke custom-designed sales training program will provide your sales organization the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to establish credibility and deliver customized solutions based on the needs and goals of today’s veterinary practice.
For more information about our sales training programs contact Susan Warren at 913.631.2666 or SWarren@BrakkeConsulting.com.
www.BrakkeConsulting.com
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
> Pfizer Animal Health announced it has rebranded four legacy Fort Dodge horse vaccines under its Equip family of equine vaccine products. The move affects the former Fort Dodge Duvaxyn and Artervac equine vaccines. The rebranded products will be marketed alongside Pfizer’s existing line of Equip flu and tetanus vaccines. (Animal Pharm)
> Merck Animal Health (MSD Animal Health outside the US and Canada) announced the successful development of a candidate vaccine against the Schmallenberg virus. The vaccine is based on wild-type Schmallenberg virus that has been inactivated and contains an adjuvant that stimulates the immune response. In the studies to date, safety and efficacy has been demonstrated in calves, lambs and pregnant ewes. The company anticipates, pending regulatory approvals, that it will have a vaccine available by the end of this year. (company press release)
> Merial announced the launch of PureVax Recombinant FeLV Vaccine, the only non-adjuvanted feline leukemia vaccine, now offered as a convenient subcutaneous injectable. PureVax Recombinant FeLV features improved potency, providing excellent protection with a lower antigen concentration than PureVax Recombinant Leukemia Vaccine. (company press release)
> Veterinary Products Laboratories announced the launch Ovitrol X-Tend Flea and Tick Shampoo for Dogs and Cats and Ovitrol X-Tend Flea and Tick Spray for Dogs and Cats. Both products contain both etofenprox, an adulticide, and the insect growth regulator (S)-Methoprene. (Veterinary Practice News)
> The FDA announced that Virbac’s Suprelorin F (deslorelin acetate) implant has received a Minor Use Minor Species (MUMS) designation for use in domestic ferrets for the management of adrenal gland cortical disease. (FDA)
> Mars Petcare US and sister company Nutro broke ground on an $87 million pet food product innovation center in Tennessee. The center will be Mars’ fifth such center in the world, and the first in the US. (Pet Product News)
> Winn-Dixie announced that it is extending its pharmacy services to include medications for pets. The grocery chain began offering pet prescriptions recently when it partnered with Washington, DC-based Center Pet Pharmacies. (AVMA SmartBrief, Sun-Sentinel.com)
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
> MEXICO – AVIAN INFLUENZA 200,000 birds from three poultry farms in Mexico have died and 60,000 more were culled due to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H7N3. Officials are testing other farms and searching for the source of the outbreak to determine the extent of the problem. (AVMA SmartBrief – Farmers Weekly Interactive)
> WORLD – FMD The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) announced an initiative to combat foot and mouth disease on a global scale, laying out a detailed strategy to bring it under control and work toward an FMD-free objective. Both international groups emphasized that all global partners will have to make sincere commitments to achieve success. (Pork Network)
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
It’s interesting how one week of extreme weather conditions can change not only the environment but attitudes and markets. I’m writing this email as I travel through the Midwest. Earlier this week we departed Dallas where temperatures blew past 100 degrees only to find temperatures in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska to be even higher with increased humidity. These conditions provide challenges to pets, livestock, people and crops in the field.
At the same time, parts of Florida picked up a few years of rainfall in a couple of days. Yes, it’s still June and what might July offer? We’re of the opinion that consumer attitudes can easily go south with these environmental challenges added to a struggling economy. Keep a steady hand on the throttle as changes occur that we have no control over like “Mother Nature”.
Many of you in the US will be off all of next week on vacation or at least on July 4th to celebrate our National Independence Holiday. We wish you an enjoyable and safe Holiday and hopefully you’ll find a cool place to celebrate with your families.
Have a great weekend!!
Ron Brakke
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