***********************************
Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for April 9, 2021
Copyright © Brakke Consulting
Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
************************************
IN THE NEWS:
Other News
Airvet
American Veterinary Group
Argenta
Dane Creek Capital
Elanco
Futerra
IndeVets
Kemin
Manna Pro Products
Mars Petcare
MWI Animal Health
Nestle
Oak Hill Capital
Piedmont Animal Health
PrecisionLife
Proteus Industries
RxV Enterprises
SimplyDONEsocial
Stonehaven Incubate
Swedencare
Synomics
Trive Capital
United Raw Pet Foods
The Wilde Side Pet Boutique
ZuPreem
************************************
COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
- Manna Pro Products announced it has agreed to acquire ZuPreem, expanding Manna Pro’s growing pet care portfolio into the premium companion bird market. Financial terms were not disclosed. (oaoa.com)
- Swedencare announced it has acquired pet nutraceutical specialist RxV Enterprises for $23 million. The fee features a cash amount of $18.4m and a share issue worth $4.6m. Rx Vitamins had sales of $8.5m in 2020 and EBIT of $2.6m. (IHS Markit Connect)
- Wake Forest University’s Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Piedmont Animal Health announced that they are collaborating to develop a novel therapeutic agent for chronic kidney disease in cats. The therapy involves the use of an intra-renal injection of a recombinant human chemokine, CXCL-12. (company press release)
- Kemin Industries announced it has acquired Proteus Industries, Inc., a company that has created, developed, and patented novel clean label protein ingredients and applications to improve yield, nutrition, and quality in a variety of meat and poultry and protein-based applications. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Southernminn.com)
- Trive Capital announced it has sold one of its portfolio companies, American Veterinary Group, to Oak Hill Capital. AVG operates nearly 50 veterinary practices and veterinary urgent care clinics throughout the South and Southeast United States. Financial terms were not disclosed. (PRNewswire)
- Airvet announced it has partnered with MWI Animal Health. As part of the partnership, Airvet will serve as MWI’s preferred veterinary telehealth provider. (Equimanagement.com)
- IndeVets, which provides flexible veterinary staffing, announced it is expanding operations to Massachusetts and North Carolina. The company now operates in 10 states and the District of Columbia with more than 800 hospital client partners and 80 employed veterinarians. (company press release)
- SimplyDONEsocial and the Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association (IVPA) are proud to announce their collaboration to deliver the SimplyDONEsocial platform to all 400+ IVPA member practices. Through the partnership, IVPA members receive access to a complete library of hundreds of professionally designed and vetted veterinary-specific social media posts updated monthly. The SimplyDONEsocial platform provides an easy connection to the veterinary practice’s social media accounts, allowing convenient post scheduling. (company press release)
- Stonehaven Incubate announced additional investment from existing shareholder Elanco and fresh investment from New Zealand’s Argenta. The undisclosed amount of funding will allow the incubator to expand its own investment into new portfolio companies and to continue supporting the start-ups already under its stewardship. (IHS Markit Connect)
- UK Mars Petcare announced plans to launch Lovebug, the first fully insect-based dry cat food to be sold by a major supplier in the UK. Lovebug was co-developed by Mars and Futerra, working with the Waltham Petcare Science Institute to guarantee the nutritional value of the cat food. (GlobalPets)
- CHINA Nestle announced an additional investment of 230 million yuan (about $35.11) to extend its pet food portfolio in China following an investment of 730 million yuan in May 2020. The first phase of the investment, which will go into operation by the end of 2021, is focused on developing high-end products and veterinary pet-food production capacity. The second phase will introduce advanced technology and facilities for the production of wet canned pet foods. (GlobalPets)
- CANADA United Raw Pet Foods, a majority-owned subsidiary of Dane Creek Capital, announced it has acquired The Wilde Side Pet Boutique, a pet specialty retailer with two locations in Canada. Financial terms were not disclosed. (GlobalPets)
- UK The UK’s PrecisionLife has created Synomics, a new business that will take its combinatorial analytics platform to the animal health and crop science markets. Synomics believes it can uncover deep insights from huge quantities of data to determine precise biological interventions as a way of improving the productivity and resilience to disease in livestock and aquaculture. (IHS Markit Connect)
***********************************
ANIMAL HEALTH STOCK PRICE TRACKER
***********************************
ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
- US – BOVINE TB Bovine tuberculosis has been confirmed in a South Dakota cattle herd for the first time since 2017. An infected cow was first identified in January during a routine inspection at a packing plant; that cow was traced to a herd in Corson County, where additional animals were found to be infected. South Dakota has been categorized as bovine TB-free since 1982, meaning the state hasn’t had more than one herd infected within a four-year period. (Vet Advantage)
- US – RADIATION SAFETY The International Atomic Energy Agency has released report No. 104: Radiation Protection and Safety in Veterinary Medicine to provide advice for professionals in veterinary uses of radiation to help them safely carry out their work. (agency press release)
************************************
BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
Some years ago, while I was in living in the UK, I took my leadership team to Cardiff to listen to Dr. Michael Porter, the renowned US economist. He talked about regional competitiveness and how the most effective models were built around organized relationships between companies, local and state governments, and academic institutions that focus on a particular industry.
When I returned from the UK and moved to Kansas City, I saw this theoretical model in infancy being applied in the now famous KC Animal Health Corridor. In fact, the founder of Brakke Consulting, Ron Brakke was instrumental in helping to set the Corridor up.
I believe it would be highly beneficial to our industry to establish other regional centers like the KC Animal Health Corridor in key markets around the world such as Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. As we move into a particularly tumultuous time trying to rise out of the effect of pandemic, it is important to look for rebuilding and strengthening stable, sustainable industries-like animal health.
As Dr. Porter states, “Clear economic strategies that engage all stakeholders, boost innovation and ultimately improve productivity are especially critical in times of austerity or economic distress.”
Paul Casady
***********************************
YOUR VIEW
Last week we asked if you have purchased pet products from any of the online retailers. Amazon and Chewy were by far the most common answers: 69% of you had purchased pet products from Amazon, and 54% purchased from Chewy. Around 10-14% had purchased from either Petsmart.com, Petco.com, or PetMedExpress; and 22% had purchased from another online retailer. Only 15% of you said you hadn’t made any online pet purchases.
This week
English (United States) 
Portuguese