Two items in the newsletter today strengthened my excitement for monoclonal antibodies in veterinary medicine. With Zoetis now shipping Librela, the monoclonal antibody for pain in dogs, and Merck receiving conditional approval by the USDA’s CVB for their oncology product for dogs, gilvetmab, it seems like our industry should be excited. Why?
First, it shows that animal health companies can and will bring new and innovative drug technologies to the veterinary market. The market wants them and is willing to pay for them (think Cytopoint and Solensia, both from Zoetis). Secondly, innovation is also great for the sales and marketing teams of animal health companies – it gives them new products to detail and should help deliver better medicines to veterinarians and outcomes for pet owners. Third, because monoclonal antibodies are injected, rather than given orally, this will drive pets into clinics more frequently and will help keep the veterinarian and the veterinary technicians in the middle of the relationship between the pet and the pet owner.
We know from the results of our Sales Force Effectiveness Study that veterinarians really do differentiate animal health companies based on their ability to bring innovative products and services to them. Our data shows that innovation is a driver of overall company performance and overall trust in the company. We are clearly excited about the many positive opportunities and outcomes that monoclonal antibodies will bring to veterinary medicine.
Bob Jones
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