Animal Health News & Notes for September 10, 2021

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for September 10, 2021
Copyright © Brakke Consulting
Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:

Earnings News
Bioveta
Dechra

Other News
ADM
Biotech Laboratories U.S.A.
Chewy
CHOU2 Pharma
EquiTrace
Freshpet
GlobalVetLink
Heska
KineticVet
Laboratoire de Dermo-Cosmétique Animale
Merck
MI:RNA
Nextmune
NutraDine
NVA
Pedigree Ovens
Petabyte Technology
PetDine
PetMedix
The Pound Bakery
Royal DSM
UNAVETS
Vimian

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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES

• Dechra Pharmaceuticals reported results for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. Revenues were GBP 608 million ($841 million), an increase of 18% year-over-year. Operating annual profit improved by 61% year-on-year to GBP 84 million ($116 million). (IHS Markit Connect)
• Bioveta announced results for the first half of 2021. Revenues were CZK1,060 million ($49.4 million), an increase of 11%. (IHS Markit Connect)

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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES

• Merck Animal Health announced a strategic partnership with EquiTrace to bring the EquiTrace horse health management app to U.S. veterinary practices and farm teams. The app works in conjunction with Merck Animal Health’s Bio-Thermo microchips, allowing horse care professionals to instantly read, graph and monitor a horse’s temperature. (company press release)
• Chewy is testing Practice Hub , a new veterinarian marketplace that allows doctors to choose products to list on the retailer’s website, set prices, create preapproved prescriptions and earn revenue when customers place an order in-clinic or through Chewy. Chewy customers can purchase pet medications directly from their veterinarian while shopping on chewy.com, and Chewy fulfills the orders. The service is an extension of Chewy’s Petscription platform. (Vet Advantage)
• Heska Corporation announced that the Company has acquired majority ownership of Biotech Laboratories U.S.A. LLC from Biotech Holdings U.S.A. LLC. Biotech develops a full line of rapid point-of-care tests to detect antigens and antibodies associated with infectious and parasitic diseases of animals. Financial terms were not disclosed. (company press release)
• ADM announced an agreement to acquire a 75% ownership stake in PetDine, Pedigree Ovens, The Pound Bakery and NutraDine (P4 Companies). The agreement includes a put/call option that gives the parties the option to agree for ADM to purchase the remaining 25% stake at an agreed-upon market price in the coming years. The transaction values the four firms at around $600 million. (IHS Markit Connect)
• KineticVet announced the launch of Bovi-Trace Drench, an amino acid chelated trace mineral oral solution formulated as a supplement for support of a well-designed oral feed program in beef and dairy cattle. (company press release)
• Freshpet announced the launch of its fresh, vegetarian dog food, Spring & Sprout. The product will launch at more than 900 Petco stores in the US beginning this month, before a larger retail rollout in 2022. (KPVI.com)
• GlobalVetLink introduced the Pet TravelPass for international pet travel. The GVL Pet TravelPass is an expansion of the GlobalVetLink’s Compliance Assistant SaaS platform for creation, and electronic submission of compliant health records. GVL Pet TravelPass automates regulatory research with built-in intelligent rule checking on a country-by-country basis, then creates an International Health Certificate (IHC), Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI), and Rabies Vaccination Certificate. (company press release)
• CHOU2 Pharma announced the launch of a line of cannabinoid pet treatment products with four product formulas in its initial launch. (Vet Advantage)
• Vimian announced it is acquiring French firm Laboratoire de Dermo-Cosmétique Animale (LDCA). The deal will be carried out by Vimian’s portfolio company Nextmune. LDCA’s portfolio for dogs, cats and horses is distributed in over 45 countries and yielded revenues of EUR 5 million ($5.9 million) in the last 12 months. Financial terms were not disclosed. (IHS Markit Connect)
• Petabyte Technology announced that it has raised $15 million through a Series B Funding Round. The funding includes investments from National Veterinary Associates (“NVA”) (a global veterinary care leader), UNAVETS (a European-based veterinary group), and others. (Finance.yahoo.com)
• UK PetMedix announced it has raised $37 million in series B financing. This investment will allow PetMedix to advance its fully species-specific monoclonal antibodies through clinical development and transforms the company into a clinical-stage global organization. (company press release)
• UK MI:RNA, a spin-out from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), announced the commercial launch of its heart disease detection service for pets in the UK. The firm’s NEMO technology uses biomarkers and a proprietary artificial intelligence model to enable earlier detection of disease using blood samples. (IHS Markit Connect)
• LATIN AMERICA Royal DSM announced it has gained authorizations for its Bovaer methane-reducing ruminant feed additive in Latin America. The approvals in Brazil and Chile are the first marketing authorizations of the product. Bovaer is now licensed for use in beef and dairy cattle, as well as sheep and goats. (IHS Markit Connect)

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ANIMAL HEALTH STOCK PRICE TRACKER

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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS

• BRAZIL – BSE Brazil has detected two cases of “atypical” Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in two separate states in Brazil. The two cases of BSE were found during routine health inspections at meat processing plants in Mineas Gerais and Mato Grosso states. The last time a case of BSE was identified in Brazil was in May 2019. (Mecardo.com.au)
• WORLD – AVIAN INFLUENZA According to the OIE, there were 2,081,003 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) recorded globally in the first half of 2021; 27% higher than the second half of the previous year, and more cases than there were in the whole of 2020. Iran suffered the highest number of HPAI cases of any country in first half of 2021, followed by France and Germany. (IHS Markit Connect)
• HONG KONG – ASF Hong Kong authorities have found African swine fever (ASF) in a wild boar for the first time. This outbreak has sparked concern the disease could spread to more commercial pig farms. ASF has been prevalent in mainland China since 2018, but until now Hong Kong’s only cases have been on a single pig farm and in pigs transported to slaughterhouses from the other side of the border. (IHS Markit Connect)
• US – PAIN MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP The FDA’a Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) announced its upcoming participation in the 2021 Pain in Animals Workshop to be held on October 14-15, 2021. The virtual workshop is hosted by the National Institutes of Health and is intended to help accelerate the discovery and approval of safe and effective non-opioid pain therapies and other analgesics for both people and animals. The workshop will focus on the use of gait analysis to evaluate chronic pain in dogs, and acute pain in cattle and rodents. Additionally, the workshop will discuss accelerometry, a device used to measure an individual animal’s activity, in order to measure pain and the benefits of pain management drugs. The potential use of biomarkers in pain assessments will also be discussed. The FDA encourages interested stakeholders to attend the workshop. The symposium is free; however, pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, visit 2021 Pain in Animals Workshop (FDA)
• EU – ANTIMICROBIAL USE GUIDELINES The European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment (ENOVAT) and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) have joined forces to develop and disseminate evidence-based clinical guidelines for the optimization of antimicrobial treatment in companion animal veterinary medicine.  The groups are currently working on two sets of Guidelines: (1) Guidelines for Canine acute diarrhea; and (2) Guidelines for antimicrobial use in surgical prophylaxis in companion animals. (association press release)

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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT

I have been spending some of my time this week reflecting on the events of September 11, 2001.  I happened to be in New York City that week to attend several meetings. It was an emotional week for me and of course all of America.  It is hard to believe that will be 20 years ago on Saturday. With that in mind, I thought I would share the Brakke Viewpoint from the newsletter that week, which featured both myself and senior Brakke consultant Eli Thomssen (published on September 13, 2001).

“The terrorist attacks waged against the United States have caused tremendous sorrow and agony for the families of the victims, and we want to express our sincere sympathy to them.   The mental anguish they are experiencing is impossible to comprehend.  The terrorists want to destroy our way of life and the values for which we stand as a democratic nation.  These acts cannot and will not destroy the resolve of the American people, and we must get back to a sense of normalcy.  We cannot allow the terrorists to achieve their goals and set our agenda.”
 – Eli Thomssen

“As I write the comments from my hotel room in NYC, where I have been since Monday, I am reminded of the thousands of people killed or missing in the rubble of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Already we know of hundreds of lives lost in the airplanes that were used as bombs.  What does one say at a time like this in our country?  Frankly, I’m not sure.  Maybe it is better to just listen and help those in need in whatever way we can. They need our prayers and support.  It is hard to find a New Yorker that does not have a close connection with either a relative, friend or business associate that was involved in this tragedy. 

To all of them, and others throughout the US that have been directly affected, our hearts, minds and prayers are with you.”
– Ron Brakke

The Animal Health Industry during this 20-year period has continued to grow and through pets has provided much comfort to families during times like 9/11 and after. We believe our industry is one of the most passionate and kind industries, and we should be proud of that fact.

Ron Brakke   

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YOUR VIEW

Last week, we asked about what you were grilling on Labor Day weekend, and beef (41%) and pork ribs (33%) were the two most popular choices.  The mighty hotdog came in at 5%, as did alt-meat burgers, as did something else.  Grilling chicken was a choice for just over 10%.  Looks like our readers are red and the other white meat eaters.

This week

Several of the Brakke Consultants attended the Western Veterinary Conference and were pleased to see the level of attendance.  Everyone seemed to follow the mask-wearing requirement while indoors – we learned it is hard to talk through a mask in a noisy convention.  The big news that everyone was talking about was the announcement by Chewy of their new “Practice Hub”, which is described above.

One of the benefits of home delivery is or should be increased compliance by pet owners.  So, the question this week is, “Will the addition of the “Practice Hub” to Chewy’s business increase pet owner compliance with their medications?”