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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for June 8, 2018
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
Editor: Lynn Fondon DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
Brakke Consulting news
Brakke market research reports
earnings news
Avivagen
J.M. Smucker
other news
Alltech
Arm & Hammer
CannPal Animal Therapeutics
Ceva
Elanco
ezyVet
Gour Medical
Identity Pet Nutrition
Jaychem Industries
Laboratorios Hipra
Linnaeus Group
Mars Petcare
Merck
MYOS RENS Technology
Petzila
Ralco
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
TraumaFX
Turner Wright
Unisys
Vetsource
Virbac
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research
Wagz
Zoetis
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SOUTHWEST VETERINARY SYMPOSIUM
San Antonio, Texas at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
September 20-23, 2018
Early Bird Registration — Now Until July 18th
Folks are flocking to reserve a spot at the 2018 Southwest Veterinary Symposium — a partnership of the Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas Veterinary Medicine Associations which provides continuing education for veterinary professionals. Join us this September in San Antonio, Texas where you can learn about the latest innovations and products, network with other veterinary professionals, explore design and renovation ideas and choose from more than 375 hours of quality courses.
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COMPANY EARNINGS RELEASES
• The J.M. Smucker Company announced results for its 2018 fiscal year ended April 30. US Retail Pet Foods net sales for the year were $2.17 billion, an increase of 1.5% compared to the prior fiscal year. Segment profit was $441 million compared to a profit of $481 million in FY 2017. (company website)
• Avivagen Inc. reported its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2018 ended April 30. The Company reported revenues of C$218,879 (US$170,500) for the quarter compared to revenues of C$5,529 in the comparable prior-year period. The comprehensive loss from continuing operations was C$(1,019,555) (US$795,000) compared to a loss of C$(1,441,584) in the comparable prior-year quarter. (company press release)
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BRAKKE CONSULTING, INC.
MARKET RESEARCH REPORTS
Get the information you need on today’s high-interest areas!
Brakke Consulting is an industry leader in timely market research on topics of high interest to stakeholders in the animal health, pet and veterinary markets. We strive to regularly provide the industry with timely, relevant marketing information. Reports published in the past year, including four reports released in 2018, include:
• Manufacturer Sales Force Effectiveness Study (pre-order now: coming December 2018)
• Veterinary Practice Home Delivery Report (June 2018: now available)
• Pain Management Products for Dogs and Cats (April 2018)
• Veterinary Technical Services Study (March 2018)
• Equine Mega Study IV (January 2018)
• Distributor Effectiveness Study (December 2017)
• US Flea Control and Heartworm Markets (December 2017)
• Cancer in Dogs and Cats (2017)
Prices for reports vary. For more information about these or other reports, visit our website at https://brakkeconsulting.com/our-services/information/multi-client-studies/ or contact us at info@BrakkeConsulting.com.
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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
• Zoetis and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced a five-year collaboration to research the use of Regeneron’s VelocImmune monoclonal antibody technology to develop therapeutics in animals and discover new veterinary treatments. In particular, Zoetis is exploring treatments for animals with allergic and immune-related conditions, pain, inflammatory disease and cancer. VelocImmune is Regeneron’s proprietary technology in which the immune system of mice is genetically humanized, enabling the creation of fully-human and optimized antibody drug candidates. (company press release)
• Merck Animal Health announced the launch of Sequivity Technology, a highly advanced RNA Particle Technology used to create herd-specific vaccine solutions to new and evolving disease challenges. (company press release)
• Elanco announced it has received US FDA approval for Inteprity and Bio-Cox (avilamycin Type A medicated article and salinomycin sodium Type A medicated article) for the prevention of mortality caused by necrotic enteritis associated with Clostridium perfringens, as well as the prevention of coccidiosis, in broiler chickens (Animal Pharm)
• Ceva Santé Animale and Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) announced a new collaboration to develop veterinary vaccines for the control of (re)emerging infectious animal diseases, such as Rift Valley fever and influenza. (company press release)
• Alltech announced the launched of Viligen, a feed additive designed for use in weaned pigs to promote gut health and microflora by directly targeting the gut mucosa. The non-antibiotic product is part of the company’s gut health management program and can be used in combination with other Alltech products. (Animal Pharm)
• Ralco announced that its EnMAX nursery premixes are now available with valine. Adding valine to the EnMAX nursery VTM reduces the level of soybean meal even more than past diets, which is replaced with corn and more crystalline amino acids. The starch in the diet is increased, which is readily metabolized into usable energy for growth. (National Hog Farmer)
• Vetsource announced that it has closed a $50 million Series D private financing round led by Bain Capital Ventures. (company press release)
• The founding members of Wild Calling and Zoic branded pet foods have launched Identity Pet Nutrition, LLC with 16 sustainable and responsibly sourced canned dog and cat food diets. Following the launch of its canned products this summer, the company plans to launch highly differentiated innovative treats and freeze-dried diets by early next year. (Pet Product News)
• MYOS RENS Technology Inc. announced the launch of MYOS Canine Muscle Formula, the first product in the Company’s new line of advanced veterinary health supplements to support muscle health in dogs, featuring Fortetropin, a proprietary bioactive composition derived from fertilized egg yolk that helps build lean muscle. (markets.businessinsider.com)
• Gour Medical SA announced that it has entered into discussions with Canada-based manufacturers and suppliers of medical cannabis products in preparation to enter the European market for distribution of medical cannabis products for animal use. Gour Medical intends to leverage its knowledge of medical cannabis-based treatments to address chronic pathologies pertaining to pet aging, such as pain caused by arthritis, stress, anxiety and end-of-life support treatments. (company press release)
• Wagz Inc. announced it has acquired Petzila, the pet tech brand behind the Petzi Treat Cam, a remote treat dispenser, companion app and pet data collection platform. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Pet Product News)
• Arm & Hammer announced it has expanded its portfolio with the addition of Bacillus strain 1704 to its Certillus line of nutritional products. Bacillus strain 1704 provides broad-spectrum activity against various species and strains of E coli, Clostridium and Salmonella in facilities for poultry, swine, and dairy and beef cattle. (Animal Pharm)
• ezyVet announced a partnership agreement with Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine that will see ezyVet’s cloud-hosted veterinary practice management software replacing the College’s legacy system. (company press release)
• TraumaFX, a division of Kforce Government Solutions, announced the release of K9 Diesel, a new canine medical simulator. The simulator builds on the TraumaFX K9 Hero model released in 2016. (Veterinary Practice News)
• AUSTRALIA Virbac announced the Australian launch of Curacef Duo, a combination of an antibiotic and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for treatment for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). (Animal Pharm)
• EU The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) adopted a positive opinion for the authorization of Laboratorios Hipra’s Ubac vaccine for the active immunization of healthy cows and heifers to reduce the incidence of clinical intramammary infections caused by Streptococcus uberis. (Animal Pharm)
• NIGERIA Investment firm Williamsville Sears Management (WSM) announced it has signed a letter of intent for the stock-swap acquisition of Turner Wright, Nigeria’s leading animal health firm. When the transaction is complete, WSM will own 70% of the outstanding shares of Turner Wright, which was originally an offshoot of Merial and started trading as an independent company in 1997. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Animal Pharm)
• UK Sovereign Capital Partners, a UK private equity group, announced the sale of Linnaeus Group to Mars Petcare’s Veterinary Health Group. Linnaeus Group is one of the UK’s leading veterinary services providers with 87 sites in England including five specialist referral centers. Financial terms were not disclosed. (TheBusinessDesk.com)
• UK Unisys Corporation has unveiled Digi-Pet, a new solution that allows pet owners to monitor their pets while in transit. Devices are attached to the kennel by the airline agent; after which a personalized app can be used by the pet owner to track the pet’s vitals throughout the transport process. (Airport-technology.com)
• CANADA CannPal Animal Therapeutics has entered into a strategic manufacturing agreement with New Zealand business Jaychem Industries to provide contract manufacturing services to enable the delivery of CannPal’s first non-prescription nutraceutical product DermaCann, which is being developed to target canine skin care. (Animal Pharm)
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
• US – CWD RESEARCH Research from the University of Wyoming has found that cattle that are fed extremely high oral doses of CWD-infected brain material or kept in heavily prion-contaminated facilities for 10 years showed no neurological signs of the disease. The researchers concluded that cattle coming out of endemic CWD areas and slaughtered for human consumption are likely to pose no risk to people. (Animal Pharm)
• US – TRAMADOL RESEARCH Researchers from the University of Georgia have found that tramadol is ineffective in alleviating signs of pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs. The research compared the use of tramadol with both a placebo and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug carprofen in client-owned dogs in a randomized, blinded, placebo- and positive-controlled crossover study and found no improvement when tramadol was given compared to either baseline or placebo. Results were published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. (Veterinarynews.com)
• UK – POULTRY DIAGNOSTICS A team of scientists led by Brunel University London will develop a molecular test and a smartphone app that, when used together, detect six key pathogens in poultry. Farmers will collect samples from their birds using a large, matchbox-sized instrument that screens DNA and RNA. The device connects wirelessly to the app to display the results, which can can also feed into a central database to help track outbreaks. The system will be tested by chicken farmers in the Philippines. (Feedstuffs)
• EU – PETFOOD CARBON FOOTPRINT The European Commission formally endorsed new Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules for the pet food industry in April 2018. This is a significant milestone for FEDIAF and its members, enabling the industry to accurately measure the environmental impact of its products. (Petfood Industry)
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
The news this week appears to be heavy with new products and product research. The noticeable trends are toward vaccines, non-antibiotic feed additives, and technologies that target the immune system. Not to be outdone, the OTC and pet area continues to see the entry of digital products, nutraceuticals, and ever more specialized pet foods. It is an interesting mix of science on the cellular level and marketing differentiation on a broader level. Just enough to keep a consultant from becoming complacent.
Have a good weekend.
John Mannhaupt
Vice President
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