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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for July 1, 2016
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
Brakke Consulting news
Strategic planning
earnings news
Benchmark Holdings
other news
Aratana
Blue Buffalo
Boehringer Ingelheim
Ecopet Systems
H.J. Baker
Kane Biotech
Merial
Merritt Veterinary Supplies
Milk Specialties Global
Nutramax Labs
PetPace
Pet Poison Helpline
Premier Veterinary Group
VitusVet
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SOUTHWEST VETERINARY SYMPOSIUM
FORT WORTH, TX AT THE FORT WORTH CONVENTION CENTER
SEPTEMBER 29- OCTOBER 2, 2016
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION MAY 3 – JULY 18
Southwest Veterinary Symposium is a partnership of the Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas VMAs to provide continuing education for veterinary professionals in the southwest region and the nation. Symposium profits are returned to the partner states VMAs. SWVS will be held in September 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas at the Fort Worth Convention Center. SWVS offers more than 375 hours of quality continuing education courses for veterinary professionals. SWVS is part conference, part experience and all Worth It!
For more information or to register for the conference, go to www.swvs.org.
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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES
> Benchmark Holdings announced its interim results for the six months ended March 31, 2016. Revenue increased by 142% to GBP 48.0 million ($63.9 million). Like for like sales, excluding businesses acquired in either 2016 or 2015, increased 42%. (company website)
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
> Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim announced the signing of contracts to secure the strategic transaction which consists of an exchange of Sanofi’s animal health business, Merial, and Boehringer Ingelheim’s consumer healthcare (CHC) business. This step marks a major milestone before closing of the transaction which is expected by year-end 2016. Upon successful completion, Boehringer Ingelheim’s CHC business would be transferred to Sanofi and Sanofi’s Merial would be transferred to Boehringer Ingelheim. The transaction includes a cash payment to Sanofi of EUR 4.7 billion to reflect the difference in value of the two businesses. (Business Wire)
> Nutramax Labs announced the launch of Cosequin ASU Active Lifestyle nutritional supplement for dogs. Cosequin ASU Active Lifestyle contains seven key ingredients for joint support, plus biotin to help support coat and pad health. (company announcement)
> Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. announced it has submitted an administrative New Animal Drug Application (NADA) for Nocita (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) with the FDA as a local post-operative analgesia for cranial cruciate ligament surgery in dogs. Aratana anticipates Nocita will be commercially available to veterinarians in the fall of 2016. (company press release)
> Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc., announced pricing of $22 per share for the secondary offering of shares of its common stock filed with the SEC. Existing stockholders of Blue Buffalo are selling 15,000,000 shares of common stock in the offering. Underwriters in the offering will have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 shares of common stock. (Pet Age)
> Milk Specialties Global announced that its management team has partnered with an affiliate of private equity firm American Securities LLC, to acquire the company from Kainos Capital, which acquired Milk Specialties in 2011. The transaction is expected to close later this year. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Feedstuffs)
> H.J. Baker Animal Health & Nutrition announced the introduction of Vegain, the world’s first pure vegan protein supplement for poultry. (PRNewswire)
> VitusVet announced a partnership with Pet Poison Helpline to give pet owners and veterinary professionals a way to contact Pet Poison Helpline’s poison control center from within the VitusVet app and start a consultation in case of an emergency. The VitusVet app now also serves as a resource for emergency instructions if a pet is poisoned, giving owners access to Pet Poison Helpline’s comprehensive database of 250+ potential poisons. (Pressreleaserocket.net)
> Premier Veterinary Group PLC announced that its Premier Vet Alliance (US) Ltd unit has signed an agreement with Merritt Veterinary Supplies for its Premier Pet Care Plan. The initial five-year deal will see Premier Pet Care Plan introduced into Merritt’s 9,000 member hospitals, primarily located in the Southeastern US. (LSE.co.uk)
> CANADA Kane Biotech Inc. announced that the Corporation has closed its previously announced private placement offering of common shares at a price of $0.03 per Common Share. At the closing, the Corporation issued 22,018,158 Common Shares for aggregate gross proceeds of $660,544.74. (company press release)
> SPAIN PetPace, the provider of an innovative smart collar for remote continuous monitoring and analysis of pet vital signs and activity, announced a distribution agreement with Spain’s Ecopet Systems. The agreement will bring PetPace’s technology to veterinarians, animal care professionals and pet owners throughout Spain. Previously, PetPace’s dog and cat health monitoring smart collars were only available in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. (Press Release Rocket)
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
> US – ONE HEALTH The USDA announced the launch of a One Health centralized web portal page (www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=onehealth) to better help stakeholders and the public better access information about the One Health initiative. This page features USDA’s collective body of work on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), avian influenza and swine influenza as well as other One Health resources. (AVMA SmartBrief)
> US – FOOD LABELING US Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts and ranking member Debbie Stabenow reached a compromise that would establish a national, mandatory system of disclosure for food that contains GMO ingredients. The system would create three labeling options: (1) a phrase indicating that the food product contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs), (2) an on-pack symbol or (3) a QR or bar code that consumers could scan with their smartphones. (Feedstuffs)
> US – INTERNATIONAL TRADE The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service signed three international agreements supporting animal health and global trade during a recent meeting of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The three arrangements relate to the International Animal Health Emergency Reserve, the Sharing of Vaccines for Foot and Mouth Disease, and Supporting the Recognition of Zoning for Foreign Animal Disease Outbreaks. (Southeastagnet.com)
> US – SWINE RESEARCH Iowa State University veterinarians have found a method of collecting diagnostic samples from swine that does not require blood samples. The researchers began their experiments to find an easier means of collecting samples by hanging ropes in pens of pigs. The pigs enthusiastically chewed on the rope, leaving an oral fluid sample that can lead to diagnostic accuracy as good as or better than conventional surveillance techniques. Growing pigs four weeks or older require no training for oral fluid collection, as the rope proves irresistible to them due to their natural curiosity. (phys.org)
> US – COMPANION ANIMAL CLINICAL TRIALS The AVMA announced the launch of the AVMA Animal Health Studies Database as a resource for researchers seeking animals to participate in clinical studies and for veterinarians and animal owners exploring options for treatment. The new AVMA website, www.avma.org/FindVetStudies, encompasses all fields of veterinary medicine and all species of animals and will extend beyond the US to Canada and the UK. (association press release)
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BRAKKE CONSULTING, INC.
STRATEGIC PLANNING SERVICES
Brakke Consulting is an excellent resource for your company’s strategic planning. Some of the services we offer include:
– Reviewing revenue estimates and success probability of your product pipeline
– Reviewing the timing of various new product introductions
– Benchmarking various functions against company competitors in the larger markets
Through strategic planning, Brakke Consulting can help improve the likelihood of success for your company’s future endeavors.
Contact us for professional assistance in any of these areas.
www.BrakkeConsulting.com
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
What an interesting group of stories this week. On the financial side, the transaction between Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim for the exchange of businesses moved into a the signing of contracts stage. Blue Buffalo Pet Products raised another $330 million, which gives them a market cap yesterday of $4.6 billion.
Several of the stories this week involve companies with products not previously recognized in the past as traditional animal health products (vaccines, pharmaceuticals or parasiticides). Consumers, through their veterinarians and pet retailers, are driving manufacturers towards more natural health products in both the food and companion animal markets. One company announced this week the first vegan protein supplement for poultry!
In the US we will be celebrating Independence Day, the 4th of July, next Monday. We want to wish all of our subscribers and clients a safe and relaxing 4th of July weekend!
Ron Brakke
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