The Experts in Animal Health

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for June 7, 2019
Copyright © Brakke Consulting

Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:

Brakke Consulting news
OTC Channel

earnings news
Avivagen
Benchmark Holdings
Sanderson Farms

other news
Andover Healthcare
Animal Nutritional Products
Banfield Pet Hospital
Bayer
Boehringer Ingelheim
Chewy
Compassion-First Pet Hospitals
Constantia Flexibles
Digicare Animal Health
Hero Pet Brands
Laboratorios Hipra
Manna Pro Products
Mason Company
MatMaCorp
Midmark
MiDOG
Milliken & Company
PetSmart
Virbac

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2019 KC Animal Health Corridor Events
August 26-27, 2019
Kansas City, MO

Market Insight Seminar
August 26, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Join fellow animal health leaders in Kansas City this August for the 4th annual KC Animal Health Corridor Market Insight Seminar. All registration proceeds will be donated to New Horizon Ranch and Rose Brooks Center.

Animal Health Corridor Homecoming Dinner
August 26, 5:00 – 9:00 pm
The KC Animal Health Corridor’s annual Homecoming Dinner is an exclusive gathering of industry leaders from around the world to celebrate global industry successes and growth.

Animal Health Investment Forum
August 27, 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
The KC Animal Health Investment Forum is one of the only opportunities in the world for early stage animal health companies to present their vision and business plan to potential investors.

For details, go to http://kcanimalhealth.thinkkc.com/events/annual-events

REGISTER NOW for Early Bird Pricing: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-annual-kc-animal-health-corridor-events-tickets-61435035846

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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES

• Benchmark Holdings plc announced financial results for the first half of fiscal 2019. The company recorded revenues of GBP 78.3 million ($99.3 million), a 3% increase compared to the prior-year period. Animal health generated sales of GBP 7.2 million (+76%), genetics revenues totaled GBP 22.6 million (+8%), and advanced animal nutrition sales were GBP 40.9 million (-7%). (Animal Pharm)

• Avivagen reported unaudited financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2019. The Corporation reported revenues of $303,984, an increase of 39% over the three-month period ended April 30, 2018. The comprehensive loss from continuing operations for the three-month period ended April 30, 2019 was $(1,292,919). (company press release)

• Sanderson Farms Inc. reported results for its fiscal second quarter ended April 30, 2019. Net sales were $845 million, compared with $813.5 million for the same period a year ago. Net income was $40.6 million compared with net income of $41.9 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018. (Feedstuffs)

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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES

• Boehringer Ingelheim announced an agreement with Constantia Flexibles to provide veterinarians and horse owners with an augmented reality packaging solution for Boehringer’s Nutraxin supplement for horses with equine metabolic syndrome. Constantia Interactive gives horse owners access to the Nutraxin app, where they can use an integrated diary to add details about a horse’s physical condition and monitor its weight. The app also has tips on proper nutrition which link to further information. (Animal Pharm)

• Animal Nutritional Products introduced PhytoMAXX Bites, a veterinary-exclusive CBD (cannabidiol) chew formulated for pets suffering from pain, stress and other conditions. PhytoMAXX Bites contains a hemp extract as well as capsicum; other ingredients include glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and astaxanthin. (company press release)

• Chewy announced terms for its IPO. The company plans to raise $749 million by offering 41.6 million shares (87% insider) at a price range of $17 to $19. At the midpoint of the proposed range, Chewy would command a fully diluted market value of $7.6 billion. Chewy was acquired by PetSmart in 2017 for $3 billion; the company booked $3.5 billion in sales for the 12 months ended January 31, 2019. (nasdaq.com, Wall Street Journal)

• Manna Pro Products announced it has agreed to acquire Hero Pet Brands, a company that provides solutions to pet owner needs including nutrition, grooming, waste pickup and cleanup. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Pet Age)

• Milliken & Company announced the acquisition of Andover Healthcare, a manufacturer of cohesive bandages and compression systems used in health care, animal health care and sports medicine. Financial terms were not disclosed. (GSABusiness.com)

• MiDOG, LLC announced the launch of its new Urine Collection Kit and Test for the diagnosis of bacterial and fungal pathogens in canine urinary tract infections (UTIs). The MiDOG test uses the latest technologies in microbial DNA sequencing to detect specific nucleotide sequences within an organism’s genome, including non-cultivatable organisms. (Pet Age)

• Digicare Animal Health introduced LifeWindow One, a portable physiological monitor engineered with gold standard premium veterinary-specific modules for improved patient outcomes. Digicare’s exclusive VetECG algorithms, developed by Digicare’s biomedical engineers, are optimized for strictly veterinary QRS detection and classification and are appropriate for any species – companion animals, exotic pets and equine. (company press release)

• Midmark Corp. announced that it has acquired Mason Company, an animal boarding and containment solutions company. According to the press release, the designs and materials that make up Mason’s products complement the “fear-free” trend that is prevalent in the animal health space. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. (company press release)

• Banfield Pet Hospital announced the launch of Vet Chat, a telehealth service which offers its Optimum Wellness Plan clients on-demand access to pet care advice and support from a veterinarian anytime and anywhere. (Veterinary Practice News)

• Compassion-First Pet Hospitals announced that Veterinary Referral Center of Northern Virginia in Manassas, VA has joined the Compassion-First family of more than 35 hospitals across the country. Financial terms were not disclosed. (company press release)

• MatMaCorp announced it has developed a system that enables veterinary clinics to conduct in-house genetic testing for their clients rather than outsourcing to larger high-tech labs. MatMaCorp has developed a low-throughput device that can process eight tissue samples at a time for small scale operations at veterinary clinics or farms, and can customize the platform for the client according to the genetic tests required. Beta testing machines are now in place at several locations. (siliconprairienews.com)

• CHINA Bayer announced the launch of Advantage in China. Advantage is now authorized in over 75 countries globally. (Animal Pharm)

• EU The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) has granted a positive opinion ruling for the approval of Virbac’s Evicto (selamectin) for the treatment and prevention of infestation and/or diseases caused by fleas, heartworms, and other parasites in dogs and cats. Evicto is a generic version of Zoetis’ Stronghold. (Animal Pharm)

• EU Laboratorios Hipra announced the launch of Icthiovac VNN, a new inactivated injectable sea bass vaccine against nodavirus in the Mediterranean. (Animal Pharm)

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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS

• POLAND ASF The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) confirmed that African Swine Fever (ASF) broke out in Poland on a farm with more than 8,000 pigs. The OIE reported 61 dead pigs which lead to the culling of about 7,950 more this week. (Meat & Poultry)

• NORTH KOREA – ASF The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) has informed the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that it has detected its first outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) at the Buksang cooperative farm in Chagang-Do, near the border with China. (Feedstuffs)

• BRAZIL – BSE The Brazilian government reported a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a 17-year-old cow in Mato Grosso state, according to a statement from the country’s Agriculture Ministry. The case was considered “atypical” as the animal contracted the BSE protein spontaneously, rather than through the feed supply. No part of the animal entered the food chain. (news.trust.org)

• US – CWD The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) announced that chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently found in a white-tailed deer that was killed within the city limits of Libby, Mont., in the state’s far northwestern corner. According to FWP, this is the first time CWD has been detected in the wild, west of the Continental Divide in Montana. (Feedstuffs)

• US – DIAGNOSTIC TESTING RULES USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is looking to simplify the process for animal diagnostic labs to perform important livestock disease testing. The agency is proposing an update to the regulations that dictate how laboratories are approved to perform official testing and how those agencies remain approved. The proposed rule is available for public comment through Monday, July 29. For more information go to https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/05/30/2019-11278/approval-of-laboratories-to-conduct-official-testing-consolidation-of-regulations. (AgNet West)

• UK – AVIAN INFLUENZA RESEARCH Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have used gene editing techniques to stop the avian influenza virus from spreading in laboratory-grown chicken cells. The next step will be to try to produce chickens with the genetic change. The findings raise the possibility of producing gene-edited chickens that are resistant to the disease. (Feedstuffs)

• WORLD – VETERINARY WELLNESS Experts from around the world will discuss the implications of research undertaken by the WSAVA’s Professional Wellness Group (PWG) into veterinary wellness in a panel session during WSAVA World Congress in July. The discussion, called ‘Shaping the Future: Wellness in the Veterinary Profession’ will follow a presentation of the preliminary results of a study of more than 4,000 veterinary professionals globally that assessed professional wellness and the key factors which affect it. (association press release)

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BRAKKE CONSULTING
UNDERSTANDING THE OVER-THE-COUNTER MARKET

Whether your business is considering the OTC channels for new business opportunities or you have been distributing in the OTC channels for years, Brakke Consulting’s team can provide significant and quality assistance to businesses seeking to learn more about the details of the OTC channels of distribution. If you are looking for meaningful insights into the OTC channels, the trends found there, and the opportunities that exist, contact us at 336-396-3916 or Joel Adamson at adamson.joel@cox.net .

www.BrakkeConsulting.com

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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT

This week, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) announced that it would be holding a panel session at the 2019 Congress in July to review the results of research on wellness conducted with over 4,000 veterinarians worldwide. Veterinary well-being has been a hot topic in the profession recently, with numerous articles highlighting concerns with the physical and mental well-being of veterinarians. In 2018, Brakke Consulting teamed with the AVMA and Merck Animal Health to conduct a similar study in U.S. veterinarians. The results of the study, which were published in JAVMA, can be read on our website here https://brakkeconsulting.com/our-services/information/market-research/merck-veterinary-wellbeing-study/.

It has become evident that veterinarians, particularly those newer to the profession, are struggling with high levels of stress associated with their chosen career. The AVMA has taken steps to address the issue, including developing a “Wellbeing and Peer Assistance” page on their website (https://www.avma.org/professionaldevelopment/peerandwellness/pages/default.aspx?utm_source=prettyurl&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=mktg&utm_term=wellness). Other groups such as the American Animal Hospital Association, and a number of industry partners, have developed tools and initiatives as well.

But let’s not forget that it is not just a problem for “the profession;” individual people are facing personal demons every day. Take the time to check in with your veterinarian friends and colleagues, and let them know you’re there to listen to them. And if you are a veterinarian who is feeling overwhelmed, please don’t suffer in silence – there are people both personal and professional who are ready and willing to help.

Lynn Fondon

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