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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for May 22, 2020
Copyright © Brakke Consulting
Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
Brakke Consulting news
AnimalHealthJobs.com
Other News
Anivive Lifesciences
AquaTactics
Banfield Pet Hospital
Boehringer Ingelheim
Canbiocin
Clinvet
Dechra
Elanco
Kindred Biosciences
NAVC
Neogen
Okava Pharmaceuticals
Petzey Technology
PromoVet
Pure Cultures
Radio Systems Corporation
State Farm
Telemark Veterinary Consulting
Trupanion
Wedgewood Pharmacy
Vaxart
VetStem Biopharma
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AnimalHealthJobs.com has grown to include over 30,000 pre-qualified job seekers, and consistently maintains a high degree of talent: two-thirds of our registered users have a Bachelor’s degree, and 20% have some kind of advanced degree; one-quarter have over 10 years of industry experience.
When you are seeking the best, come to AnimalHealthJobs.com – first.
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
- Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health announced that it has extended the free-of-charge availability of its PetPro Tele+ telemedicine platform to US veterinarians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform enables online virtual veterinary visits through mobile-to-mobile appointments. PetPro Tele+ is a standalone telemedicine version of the company’s PetPro Connect. (Animal Pharm)
- The Schall Law Firm announced the filing of a class action lawsuit against Elanco Animal Health According to the Complaint, Elanco consolidated its distributors from eight different organizations to four, and then increased the amount of inventory held by each distributor, leading to both a decline in inventory and the Company reducing its channel inventory. The complaint alleges that based on these facts, the Company’s public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period (January 10 – May 06, 2020). (Business Wire)
- Neogen Corporation announced the launch of an enhanced version of its Igenity Beef profile, a genomic test for commercial cattle. Last fall, Neogen announced a partnership with International Genetic Solutions (IGS) to leverage IGS’s platform that ranks as the largest multi-breed beef genetic evaluation in the world. Those updates are now live and available to cattle producers. (company press release)
- Kindred Biosciences announced it has partnered with Vaxart to manufacture an oral vaccine candidate for COVID-19. KindredBio will produce the vaccine bulk drug substance under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and Vaxart will then formulate it into a room temperature-stable vaccine tablet. KindredBio will manufacture the vaccine for clinical trials, which are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2020. (Animal Pharm)
- VetStem Biopharma announced it has gained a new patent for using novel stem cell compositions in mammals. The US patent covers “multiple methods of preparing and using novel stem cell compositions and kits”, focusing on stem cell compositions from adipose tissue and covering all types of injury or disease in mammals, including humans. (Animal Pharm)
- PromoVet announced a partnership with Wedgewood Pharmacy. PromoVet clients will receive special Wedgewood Pharmacy pricing, free standard shipping on all Wedgewood Pharmacy orders billed to your office, and backorder alerts when Wedgewood Pharmacy can provide a compounded alternative to a commercial backorder. (company press release)
- State Farm insurance company announced it has partnered with Trupanion to provide medical coverage for pets. (company press release)
- Private investment firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice announced it has acquired of Radio Systems Corporation. Financial terms were not disclosed. (GlobalPets)
- The FDA announced it has awarded four new grants totaling $615,023 to help fund research to support the approval or conditional approval of new animal drugs intended for minor uses or minor species (MUMS). The recipients of the grants were Anivive Lifesciences, Inc. (treatment of canine lymphoma); Okava Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (treatment of canine idiopathic immune-mediated hemolytic anemia); and two grants to AquaTactics LLC (control of enteric redmouth disease in freshwater salmonids). (FDA)
- The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) announced it has partnered with Banfield Pet Hospital to launch the inaugural VMX Virtual Job Fair to connect prospective employers and job seekers in the veterinary community anywhere in the world in a highly immersive and unique 3D experience. NAVC will use its VMX Virtual platform, launched in January, to recreate the experience of a live face-to-face job fair on June 24, 2020. For more information click here. (company press release)
- Petzey Technology, Inc., a new pet health and wellness company, announced the launch of the Petzey Network of Virtual Vets. The app, Petzey, provides an affordable, on-demand connection to local veterinary resources and virtual knowledge centers. (Tylerpaper.com)
- Clinvet and Telemark Veterinary Consulting announced a collaboration to enhance Clinvet’s position as a premiere global Animal Health contract research organization (CRO). (company press release)
- Canadian company Canbiocin, which is developing natural species-specific probiotics, announced it has acquired Pure Cultures, a US-based pet and livestock probiotics business. Pure Cultures is focused on the poultry and pig markets through its Flock Vitality and Pig Vitality brands, which include prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Animal Pharm)
- UK Dechra Veterinary Products announced the UK launch of Laxatract oral syrup, the first veterinary licensed lactulose oral syrup for constipation in cats and dogs. (Vettimes.co.uk)
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ANIMAL HEALTH STOCK PRICE TRACKER
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
- US – CATTLE FEVER TICKS The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and the USDA’s Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program (CFTEP) announced that they have seen an increase in fever tick confirmations outside of established quarantined areas in south Texas. All of the infested premises have been quarantined, and TAHC staff are working alongside CFTEP to systematically inspect the premises and the surrounding areas to identify the potential span of the infestation. (Feedstuffs)
- US – BIOTECH REGULATIONS The USDA issued its final rule to modernize agricultural biotechnology regulations, marking the first comprehensive revision of the regulations since they were established in 1987. For more information, click here. (Feedstuffs)
- US – COOL LABELING A bipartisan group of US senators introduced a resolution to support mandatory country-of-origin labeling (mCOOL) for beef products in the US in an effort to provide critical support to American cattle producers hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution urges the US to enter into necessary trade negotiations to allow mCOOL to be re-implemented in a manner that is compliant with World Trade Organization regulations. (Feedstuffs)
- US – FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN The USDA and FDA announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help prevent interruptions at FDA-regulated food facilities, including fruit and vegetable processing. The MOU creates a process for the two agencies to make determinations about circumstances in which USDA could exercise its authority under the Defense Production Act – signed April 28 to address the closure of meat packing plants – with regard to certain domestic food resource facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold foods as well as to those that grow or harvest food that fall within FDA’s jurisdiction. (Feedstuffs)
- US – SARS-CoV-2 IN CATS Researchers from the US and Japan reported that a small study has shown that cats can readily become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and may be able to pass the virus to other cats. Each cat shed SARS-CoV-2 from their nasal passages for up to six days, the researchers said, noting that the virus was not lethal and none of the cats showed signs of illness. All of the cats ultimately cleared the virus. The research was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Feedstuffs)
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
Just posted to our website, BrakkeConsulting.com, is the Executive Summary of the Merck Animal Health Veterinarian Wellbeing Study that appears in the June 1 issue of JAVMA. This summarizes the second edition, released a few weeks ago, of research that tracks the wellbeing and mental health of veterinarians, and provides insights on how veterinarians can improve their wellbeing. There’s useful information in the article that anyone can use to help manage stress, which is no doubt more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. We applaud Merck Animal Health for sponsoring this comprehensive research.
For those of you curious about how much veterinarians are using telemedicine, there are great insights in our new tracking study, COVID-19: Impact On Pet Care. If you want more information about this insightful research, please contact me at john@volkonline.com.
John Volk
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YOUR VIEW
Sales reps appear to be beating the bushes pretty hard. Last week we asked how many calls sales reps were making before and after shelter-in-place went into effect. Before: an average of 5.7 calls/day; After: 7.8 “remote” calls. On average, reps said they were finding it slightly harder to do business during the pandemic.
This week’s questions:
When you go out in public, do you routinely wear a mask?
Are the majority of people in your area wearing masks when out in public?
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