Animal Health News & Notes for June 19, 2020

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for June 19, 2020
Copyright © Brakke Consulting
Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:

Other News
Biomin
CONMED
DSMer
Erber Group
Fujita Pharmaceuticals
ImmuCell
Intervacc
Kyoto Biken
Merck
Quantified Ag
Romer Labs
Sasaeah Pharmaceutical
VetOvation
Zomedica

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2020 DIGITAL ANIMAL HEALTH SUMMIT
AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
Location: Online
The Corridor’s August event goes on(line)! Registration is now open.

Register today! The digital Animal Health Summit features 36 hours of 1:1 business partnering, keynote speaker David Hughes, 7+ on demand webinars, emerging company presentations, LIVE stream programming with industry leaders, LIVE networking and additional programming that supports the Spirit of Service – programming with impact. Learn more

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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES

• Merck Animal Health announced the completion of its acquisition of Quantified Ag, a data and analytics company that monitors cattle body temperature and movement in order to detect illness early. In April 2018, Merck Animal Health invested in Quantified Ag and partially funded their development work in data analytics in livestock. Financial terms were not disclosed. (company press release)
• ImmuCell Corporation announced receipt of a $500,000 subordinated loan from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). The loan supports the Company’s investments to increase the production capacity of First Defense, to complete the development of Re-Tain and to bring the formulation and aseptic filling services for Re-Tain in-house after FDA approval and market launch. (company press release)
• Zomedica Pharmaceuticals announced that it has appointed Robert Cohen, formerly of EmboMedics, Inc., as its Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Shameze Rampertab, who had been acting as Zomedica’s Interim Chief Executive Officer since December 2019, will continue in his role as Zomedica’s Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. (Globe Newswire)
• VetOvation announced that it is now distributing the complete line of CONMED orthopedic, arthroscopy and laparoscopic equipment for veterinary applications. (company announcement)
• DSM announced an agreement to acquire the Biomin and Romer Labs businesses from Erber Group for an enterprise value of EUR 980 million ($1.1 billion). Erber Group’s Sanphar and EFB businesses, representing 7% of its total sales, are not included in this transaction. Biomin and Romer Labs have combined annual sales of EUR 330 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin above 20% for the 12 months ended March 2020. (Feedstuffs)
• JAPAN Orix subsidiaries Kyoto Biken and Fujita Pharmaceuticals announced they have established a new sales company in Tokyo named Sasaeah Pharmaceutical. (Animal Pharm)
• SWEDEN Intervacc announced it has raised approximately SEK147 million ($15 million) through a share offering to prepare its equine strangles vaccine for market launch. The company issued 6,537,973 shares at a price of SEK22.50 each. (Animal Pharm)

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ANIMAL HEALTH STOCK PRICE TRACKER

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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS

• US – GENE EDITING The Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) announced the creation of a Gene Editing Task Force.  Recognizing the potential for gene editing to increase food security and safety, the 11-person panel is comprised of scientists and industry leaders who will map out recommendations for regulating this emerging genomic technology in animal agriculture with appropriate safeguards and procedures. (Feedstuffs)

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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
The July/August issue of the Harvard Business Review is entitled “Emerging From the Crisis” and the editor mentions that “we’ll be well down the path to a new normal – learning which business practices still make sense and which need to change.”  He goes on to say, “The most obvious challenge, of course, is deciding how and where work gets done.  But most businesses face deeper questions about how they can survive – and thrive – going forward.”

In the article, “What is the Next Normal Going to Look Like”, a statement from Nancy McKinstry, CEO of Wolters Kluwer, caught my attention.  She said, “I would add that how companies treat their people now is really going to matter. Talent is so scarce.  When I look back on the global financial crisis, I think some companies paid a steep price for the way they treated workers.”

Now, how companies treat their people is really going to matter?  It has always mattered.  Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco, ends the article stating, “The culture of organizations, and their people, and how leaders show up during this moment – all of that will define who’s going to be successful in the future.”  It’s all about people.  It’s not new. It’s normal.

Bob Jones

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YOUR VIEW
Last week we asked a few more questions about how you are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.  A not-so-surprising 74% of the respondents say that video conferences (VC) for business communication have become a frequent way to communicate with clients, customers, and colleagues.  Some of you may be jealous of the 4% that said they do not use VCs.  Similarly, 74% said that VCs will continue to be a significant part of your business interactions after the lockdowns have been relaxed.  However, when asked about the effectiveness of VCs, 47% said that there were no real advantages of VCs over face-to-face meetings, 36% said it is in some ways superior and 17% said VCs were an unacceptable substitute. I’ll bet there are some strong opinions about VCs in this group.

This week’s question
This week, we would like to hear your view on communication in your company during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the communication provided to me by leadership in my company has been…

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