Missouri Professor Earns Board-Certification in RadiologyFebruary 17, 2015Charles Maitz, DVM, Ph.D., an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, has become a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology in the subspecialty of radiation oncology. The university recently posted the news on its website. Dr. Maitz, who joined the college in July, holds a joint position with the School of Medicine’s Department of Radiology and the International Institute of Nano and Molecular Medicine. Maitz earned both his DVM and Ph.D. at the University of Missouri.
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Ross University Hosts Second Annual Student Research DayFebruary 14, 2015More than 30 students at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine participated in the school’s second annual Student Research Day on Jan. 23. The event is an opportunity to promote and celebrate student-led research. The posters were judged by nine RUSVM faculty members representing a variety of clinical and biomedical expertise. Judges evaluated the posters on the criteria of appearance, clarity, analysis and student’s day-of presentation and responses to questions. The winners: First Place — Streptococcus agalactiae vaccine in nile tilapia (RUSVM student Maria Zayas and RUSVM faculty members Drs. Esteban Soto, Oscar Illanes, Michelle Dennis, Fortune Sithole) Second Place — Separation anxiety prevalence and severity in the typical St. Kitts “island dog” (RUSVM students Elizabeth Kost and Erika Bebout and RUSVM faculty member Dr. Maziel Arauz) Third Place (tie) + Gross and histopathological lesions of renal stephanuriasis in St. Kitts swine (RUSVM student Danielle Morosco and RUSVM faculty members Drs. Oscar Illanes and Carmen Fuentealba) + Validation of an in vitro culture method for cestodes (RUSVM students Kathleen Neuville, Janel Cawthra and Chele Lathroum and RUSVM faculty member Dr. Jennifer Ketzis) The day also included a presentation of awards and a guest lecture from Richard Goldstein, DVM, chief medical officer from the Animal …
AKC Foundation Selects 6 Research FellowsFebruary 12, 2015Six veterinary researchers focused on canine issues were named Clinician-Scientist Fellows on Wednesday under a program managed by the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. Each will receive $10,000 in support of their research project and $2,000 to present the results at a national scientific meeting. The fellowship program is designed to encourage young researchers and advance canine and human health, according to the Raleigh, N.C., foundation. “As emerging key opinion leaders in veterinary medicine, their relationships with our donors and their understanding of the value of collaboration is critical to helping us solve our greatest health concerns faster,” said the foundation’s chief scientific officer, Shila Nordone, Ph.D. Financial support for the program comes from individual donors and other sponsors. An “Adopt a Researcher” function on the foundation website—http://bit.ly/1yqKA5C—allows contributors to direct their donation to an individual fellow. Members of the 2015 class, the third in the program’s history, and their research projects are: Emily Brown, DVM, of the University of California, Davis: The genetic etiology of Addison’s disease in Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers and other dogs. Steven Friedenberg, DVM, MS, MBA, of North Carolina State University: The genetic causes of autoimmune diseases in dogs. Hyun Ji …
Putney Releases Injectable Carprofen for DogsFebruary 12, 2015Drug maker Putney Inc. this week began selling Carprofen Sterile Injectable Solution, a generic version of Rimadyl, the anti-inflammation medication that has earned longtime rights holder Zoetis Inc. hundreds of millions of dollars over the years. The development gives Putney all three dosage forms of generic Rimadyl: injectable, chewable tablets and caplets. The active ingredient, carprofen, is formulated to control osteoarthritis pain and inflammation in dogs and for postsurgical pain. “Putney is helping veterinarians make pet health care more affordable for their pet owner clients by bringing new FDA-approved veterinary generic medicines to the market,” CEO Jean Hoffman said. Putney launched Carprofen Chewable Tablets in December. At the time, the Portland, Maine, company estimated industry sales of chewable Rimadyl and its generic equivalents at $70 million a year. Another U.S. drug maker, Bayer Animal Health, offers generic Rimadyl in soft chewable tablets under the brand name Quellin. Zoetis’ 2014 earnings report, released Wednesday, highlighted the threat to sales of one of its flagship products. “Growth was offset by competition to our Rimadyl franchise and competitive pressure in vaccines and parasiticides,” Zoetis stated. Rimadyl was released in 1997 by Pfizer Inc., which years later spun off its Pfizer …
Mississippi State Vet Students Attend Jackson Zoo Welcome EventFebruary 12, 2015The Jackson Zoo recently hosted a welcome party for the students of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine (MSU-CVM). Thirty students as well as MSU-CVM Dean Kent Hoblet, DVM, attended on Feb. 4. The event was geared to give students an opportunity to visit and tour the zoo and vet hospital. Tours were broken into three groups. Zoo staff discussed daily routines of animal care, medication procedures, animal behaviors and exotic care polices. The students were also given a chance to speak directly with Michael Holifield, DVM, zoo veterinarian, and also with zoo keepers in the different sections of the zoo. Students showed interest in exotic medicine and animal care, along with researching endangered species, according to a zoo spokeswoman. In addition, the students were able to ask questions about an expanded program that will be offered through the Jackson Zoo. Read “Mississippi Vet School Expands Partnership with Jackson Zoo.”
Jaguar Sees Future for Equine Ulcer DrugFebruary 11, 2015Jaguar Animal Health, whose nonprescription Neonorm Calf is its only commercial offering, reported Tuesday the filing of its ninth Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD) application. The San Francisco company hopes the proposed treatment for ulcers and ulcer-related diarrhea in horses, along with other drug candidates, will fill its product pipeline in coming years. The INAD application is an early step in the regulatory process and precedes studies designed to investigate a drug’s safety and efficacy. The latest contender from Jaguar contains an anti-secretory agent derived from the Croton lechleri tree. The drug is formulated to treat and prevent the recurrence of ulcers throughout a horse’s stomach, intestines and colon. The formulation also could be used to treat diarrhea in ulcer-stricken horses. “There are currently no FDA-approved new animal drugs available for the treatment of colonic ulcers in horses, thus making this product a complete, first-in-class ulcer and gut treatment for more active horses like performance and racing horses as well as for horses used recreationally,” said Tim Dotson, Jaguar’s executive director of regulatory affairs. Citing a study published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, the company reported that 97 percent of performance horses have either a colonic or …
Zoetis Adds Abbott, Plans More ApoquelFebruary 11, 2015Zoetis Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of veterinary drugs and vaccines, this week wrapped up its takeover of Abbott Animal Health and reported a jump in 2014 sales and profits. The Florham Park, N.J., company also confirmed that veterinarians eager to prescribe the popular but hard-to-find anti-itch drug Apoquel will see increased supplies starting in April. The completion of the $255 million acquisition of Abbott was announced Tuesday, less than three months after a tentative deal was reported. The transaction expands Zoetis’ offerings in the areas of diabetes, anesthesia and pain relief. Among the products that moved to Zoetis are the AlphaTrak blood glucose monitoring system, the anesthesia drug SevoFlo and the feline pain reliever Simbadol. “We believe Zoetis’ scale, industry-leading field force and global presence will rapidly expand the reach and penetration of these newly acquired, leading brands for the veterinary surgical suite,” Group President Kristin Peck said. Abbott Animal Health, a division of Abbott Laboratories of Abbott Park, Ill., was a much smaller player in the veterinary pharmaceutical market. The division posted about $80 million in annual revenue, some 60 times less than the $4.8 billion that Zoetis reported today for all of 2014. Zoetis’ fourth-quarter and …
Investment Forum Issues Call to InventorsFebruary 10, 2015Young companies flush with ideas for the animal health industry but short on capital may find their answer in Missouri. The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor is accepting applications from early-stage companies looking for expert guidance and from $500,000 to $20 million in funding. Dozens of investors and animal health firms will sit down to listen Sept. 1 as a select number of presenters explain their new or potential product, their vision and their business plan. The seventh annual Investment Forum will take place at the Kansas City Convention Center, the same spot where Veterinary Energy Technologies Inc. last year won the event’s $2,500 Innovation Award for the company’s cold plasma invention. Companies presenting at the first six Investment Forums have raised more than $150 million in addition to securing licensing agreements or distribution contracts. Success stories, according to event organizers, have included Advanced Animal Diagnostics, Nexvet Biopharma, VaxLiant, Jaguar Animal Health, SmartVet and KAVB Farm. Questioning the presenters at the 2015 forum and choosing the winner of the next Innovation Award will be David Haworth of Morris Animal Foundation, Albrecht Kissel of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc., Kostas Kontopanos of Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Doug Sterkel of AgriCapital Corp. …
UF Researchers Work on Brucella VaccineFebruary 10, 2015University of Florida researchers are developing and testing Brucella vaccine varieties in cattle that will hopefully, in turn, help humans. “The concept we are taking is, if we can eradicate this disease from livestock, we can eradicate the disease from humans,” said David Pascual, Ph.D., a professor of mucosal immunology at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “If we eliminate the animal reservoir, we can help humans.” People most commonly become infected with brucellosis, which causes flu-like symptoms and malaise, by eating or drinking unpasteurized dairy products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cattle primarily become infected through nasal or oral exposure, as well as through sexual transmission, Dr. Pascual said. “Brucellosis is a global disease,” he said. “This is not a disease with overt symptoms, yet it has been around as long as humans. New infections are occurring at a rate of about half a million people per year, which is believed to be nearly 25-fold underestimated. “The outcomes of our various studies may give us some idea how the vaccines will work in humans.” There is a vaccine for livestock already but it is only about 70 percent effective, even after revaccination, …
Found Animals Announces 50 Shades of Spay ContestFebruary 9, 2015As veterinarians, you know how important it is for pet owners to have their cats and dogs spayed or neutered. You know all too well that not spaying or neutering a pet could lead to health consequences later in the pet’s life or result in unwanted litters that often wind up euthanized. As advocates of spay/neuter surgery, nonprofit organization Found Animals is offering you a chance to win a $2,500 grant for your organization or practice. And they’re having a little fun parodying the 50 Shades of Grey movie while doing so. The mission behind the #50ShadesofSpay contest is to raise spay/neuter awareness and reduce the number of euthanized animals in the United States. Since February is National Spay and Neuter Month, it’s the perfect time to hold such a contest. Throughout this month, Found Animals “is asking spay/neuter programs across the country to "show us your '50 Shades of Spay.' At the end of the month, five deserving organizations will each receive a $2,500 grant from Found Animals – and hopefully along the way we will convince folks to spend a little more time talking about pets and spay and neuter.” To be eligible …
