Animal Health News & Notes for April 19, 2019

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for April 19, 2019
Copyright © Brakke Consulting

Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:

Brakke Consulting news
Product Development & Regulatory Affairs assistance

earnings news
Boehringer Ingelheim
Vetoquinol

other news
adivo
Aviagen
Avinor
Bayer
Boehringer Ingelheim
Cargill
CombiGene
Covetrus
Excelsior Bio-System
Insilico Medicine
IVC Group (Nestle Purina)
IVC Group (Vetstream)
Nestlé Purina PetCare
Panion Animal Health
Peeva
Petland
PetSensus
Rocio
SoundTalks NV
Vetstream
Wisdom Health

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ANIMAL AGRICULTURE ALLIANCE
STAKEHOLDERS SUMMIT
MAY 8-9, 2019
KANSAS CITY

The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2019 Stakeholders Summit, themed “A Seat At The Table,” is set for May 8-9 in Kansas City, Missouri. The speaker lineup will tackle diverse topics from understanding consumer perceptions to engaging influencers to protecting farms and other agricultural operations from activist threats.

No matter which part of the supply chain you represent, the 2019 Summit will offer out-of-the-box ideas your team can immediately implement to help bridge the communication gap between farm and fork and help your business grow into the future.

To view the agenda and register, visit http://summit.animalagalliance.org/.

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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES

• Boehringer Ingelheim reported results for the full year 2018. Animal Health net sales for the year were EUR 3.96 billion ($4.5 billion), an increase of 1.5% compared to 2017 (+5.6% currency-adjusted). (company website)

• Vetoquinol Group reported results for the first quarter of 2019. Sales amounted to EUR 91 million ($102 million), an increase of 2% at constant exchange rates and up 4% as reported from the same period last year. (Business wire)

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BRAKKE CONSULTING
Product Development and Regulatory Affairs Assistance

Did you know that Brakke Consulting can provide your company with product development and regulatory affairs assistance in the animal health vaccine, diagnostics, and drug segments for both food and companion animals?

Brakke Consulting has the experience, insight, ability and contacts to provide clients with high quality, product-specific consulting services in the areas of technology assessment, product development, manufacturing, and regulatory affairs. Let Brakke Consulting assist you in moving your project from proof-of-concept right on through to commercialization.

To learn more about how we can help, please contact info@brakkeconsulting.com or Mike McGinley directly at mjmcginley813@gmail.com for a confidential consultation.

www.Brakkeconsulting.com

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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES

• Boehringer Ingelheim announced it has acquired a minority stake in SoundTalks NV, a Belgian company that has developed a digital monitoring tool that seeks to improve the healthcare of pigs and helps farmers operate more efficiently. The SoundTalks TM system revolves around a digital microphone that records pigs coughing. It relies on an algorithm to differentiate coughing from other sounds in a pig barn and thus detects increased coughing that could signal respiratory distress. Financial terms were not disclosed. (AP)

• Bayer Animal Health announced a global collaboration agreement with German start-up adivo, which was spun out of MorphoSys in 2018. Under the agreement, Bayer will gain access to adivo’s species-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) technology for the development of new therapeutics for pets. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Animal Pharm)

• Peeva, LLC, announced the launch of a partnership with Covetrus. Peeva has developed a universal pet identification system that makes use of microchip technology and pet medical records to provide better healthcare and safety for pets. (Benzinga)

• Petland Discounts Inc. has officially closed all of its stores and filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Petland was the New York tri-state area’s largest independent pet store chain, with nearly 120 stores in the region. (Pet Business)

• Wisdom Health announced plans to launch a 2020 United States Pet Census. The pet genetics company is rolling out the population survey later this year to align with the upcoming 2020 United States Census. (Pet Product News)

• Cargill announced it has invested in artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring technology along its supply chain to detect health issues in an effort to improve the poultry production process. The technology used farmer feedback and animal science to extract meaningful signs of animal health and welfare in a way that can be understood by digital systems. (Globalmeatnews.com)

• Animal biomedical data start-up PetSensus and Insilico Medicine, a company specializing in the application of deep learning for target identification and drug discovery in humans, announced a collaboration in animal longevity. (eurekalert.org)

• EU Nestlé Purina PetCare announced it will acquire a minority shareholding and enter a partnership with Independent Vetcare Group International (IVC Group), a European veterinary services group with a network of more than 1,100 vet clinics and hospitals across ten countries. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Pet Food Industry)

• SWEDEN Shareholders of Panion Animal Health have agreed to accept an acquisition offer from the company’s former parent CombiGene. Panion was originally created as a subsidiary of CombiGene and licensed the rights to an epilepsy drug candidate from its parent company. CombiGene will purchase all Panion shares and warrants listed on the Spotlight Stock Market. The offer represents a deal value of around SEK16.7 million ($1.8 million). (Animal Pharm)

• UK Independent Vetcare (IVC) announced it has selected Vetstream to support all IVC practices across the UK and Republic of Ireland with Vetstream’s online clinical reference resource, Vetlexicon Canis, Felis, Lapis, Exotis, Equis and Bovis. (company press release)

• PERU Aviagen Group and Rocio Group recently signed a strategic agreement for a joint venture under which Avicola del Norte (Avinor), a Rocio Group company, will become a subsidiary of Aviagen under the name Aviagen Peru. The new business will help Aviagen realize its vision to further expand its reach in Latin America and maximize value in the Peruvian market. (Feedstuffs)

• TAIWAN Excelsior Bio-System (EBS), Inc., announced that it has developed a rapid test kit for African swine fever (ASF) that has been recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The kit can diagnose if a live hog has contracted ASF in 10 minutes, as early as 14 days after a hog is infected even if the animal is still in the incubation period. It works only with live animals, according to the company. (Focustaiwan.tw)

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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS

• US – BOVINE TB The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) has designated parts of Iosco and Ogemaw counties in the state as a “potential high-risk area” for bovine tuberculosis (TB). These counties are adjacent to but not included in Michigan’s modified accredited zone for bovine TB in the Lower Peninsula. The designation is a result of a free-ranging white-tailed deer in Alcona County, Mich., testing positive for bovine TB. (Feedstuffs)

• US – TRACEABILITY The USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced the availability of $1 million in cooperative agreement funding to support animal disease traceability (ADT) and electronic identification for cattle. According to APHIS, the money will fund between two and five projects that are designed to help USDA increase the accuracy, efficiency and cost effectiveness of collecting key pieces of traceability information while also supporting the cattle industry’s management and marketing needs. Interested cooperators are encouraged to work collaboratively with their state animal health official and apply no later than June 7, 2019, by following the instructions on www.Grants.gov and searching for “Radio Frequency Identification Project.” (Feedstuffs)

• US – CENSUS DATA The USDA announced the results of the 2017 “Census of Agriculture”. The results span some 6.4 million new points of information about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them, including new data about on-farm decision-making, down to the county level. Information collected by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) directly from farmers and ranchers shows that both farm numbers and land in farms have seen ongoing small percentage declines since the last census in 2012. At the same time, there continue to be more of the largest and smallest operations and fewer midsized farms. To see the Census, go to https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. (Feedstuffs)

• WORLD – DAIRY WELFARE At the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Global Animal Welfare Forum, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) – in collaboration with OIE and the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) – released the updated “IDF Guide to Good Animal Welfare in Dairy Production.” For more information, go to https://store.fil-idf.org/product/bulletin-of-the-idf-n-498-2019-the-idf-guide-to-good-animal-welfare-in-dairy-production-2-0/?ct=t(The_International_Dairy_Federation_suppo5_31_2017_). (Feedstuffs)

• US – VETERINARY SHORTAGE The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) Enhancement Act has been re-introduced in Congress. The Act can play a critical role in expanding the ability to address regional shortages of food animal and public health veterinarians in rural and agricultural communities. (AVMA)

• US – VETERINARY ASSOCIATION JAVMA News recently reported on a veterinary association created to counter corporate influence. The Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association was created with a mission of providing programs and services that promote the independent ownership of veterinary practices, promote the business success of veterinarian members, and preserve the professional independence of veterinarians. Established in the spring of 2017, the IVPA is in the process of incorporating as a 501(c)(6) organization. (Vet Advantage – JAVMA)

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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT

Tomorrow, April 20th, 2019, is World Animal Vaccination Day. This event was created by the World Veterinary Association and HealthForAnimals to help raise awareness about the critical role vaccines play in the health of animals and society through companionship and a safe, reliable food supply. Raising awareness is especially important today as both human and veterinary medicine face an ever-growing anti-vaccine movement resulting in declining immunization rates and increased risk of disease. This movement deceives a largely uninformed and skeptical population with a steady stream of myths, misleading information, and junk science. The result is increasing concern about vaccine safety, efficacy, and value amongst the general public. Additionally, vaccines have in some ways become victims of their own success. Many of the diseases we have routinely vaccinated against have dramatically declined in prevalence, leading some parents and pet owners alike to question the value of vaccination without considering the concept of herd immunity and the biological certainty that disease will reappear when vaccination rates decrease.

Improved client education strategies are desperately needed to help reverse the tide of misinformation from the anti-vaccine movement. Key components of the client education process are summarizing and clearly communicating the science and supporting data validating the safety, efficacy, and intrinsic value of veterinary vaccines. Veterinarians must be equipped with evidence-based arguments to reassure clients of the value of vaccination and warn them of the greater risks associated with not vaccinating. Without redoubled efforts in these areas we run the risk of highly preventable animal diseases, like canine parvovirus and canine distemper virus, returning unnecessarily with potentially devastating consequences.

Mike McGinley

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