Pfizer Agrees To $68 Billion Takeover Of WyethApril 17, 2009 Pfizer announced Jan. 26 that it has agreed to pay $68 billion in cash and stock for rival drug maker Wyeth. The companies say the merger will create "the world’s premier biopharmaceutical company" and establish it as a leader in animal health. New York-based Pfizer is the parent company of Pfizer Animal Health and Wyeth of Madison, N.J., is the parent company of Fort Dodge Animal Health. “The combination of Pfizer and Wyeth provides a powerful opportunity to transform our industry,” Jeffrey Kindler, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, said in a statement. “It will produce the world’s premier biopharmaceutical company whose distinct blend of diversification, flexibility and scale positions it for success in a dynamic global health care environment. “The new company will be an industry leader in human, animal and consumer health. With our combined biopharmaceuticals business, it will lead in primary and specialty care as well as in small and large molecules. Its geographic presence in most of the world’s developed and developing countries will be unrivaled.” Pfizer expects to save about $4 billion annually through the merger. The savings will be phased …
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ImproMed Schedules Website Open House On Earth DayApril 17, 2009ImproMed Inc. of Oshkosh, Wis., will host a website open house featuring paperless webinar presentations and a presentation on building a greener hospital. The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST April 22 in celebration of Earth Day. Click here to join. "In June 2008, ImproMed suffered a flood that required us to completely renovate our building," said Ron Detjen, president of ImproMed. "In doing so, we took great measures with the design of the building to be more efficient and environmentally friendly, including updating all light fixtures and HVAC units, decreasing the number of windows and exterior openings, and adding an externally fixed insulation system. "Utilizing Earth Day for a website open house was the logical way to show off the updates with pictures and articles, but also to show hospitals how using Infinity in their practice by going paperless and/or making use of our vendor partnerships including CR/DR can make their hospitals greener." The company is marking its 30th anniversary this year. <HOME>
Cat Summit Aims To Boost Health AwarenessApril 17, 2009 In an effort to champion the health and well-being of cats, the American Assn. of Feline Practitioners and New York-based Pfizer Animal Health are launching The CATalyst Summit. It will be held Feb. 5-6, coinciding with the AAFP Winter meeting in Palm Springs, Calif. The percentage of cat-owning households that received no veterinary care in 2006 was 36.3 percent, compared to 17.3 percent of dog-owning households, according to the American Veterinary Medical Assn.’s recent U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. “These alarming statistics are a call to action,” said Valerie Creighton, DVM, president of the AAFP. “I think, as a profession, we have to make sure that cats’ medical needs are adequately addressed.” Topics to be discussed include why cats' needs are going unmet, how existing stereotypes regarding cats in today’s media can be rectified and how veterinarians and allied organizations can raise the bar for cat owners to improve feline care. Steve Dale, a nationally syndicated pet columnist and radio program host, and Karyn Gavzer, a speaker specializing in veterinary practice management, will moderate the event. Germinder & Associates Inc. is the managing agency for the initiative. For details, …
House Hearing On FDA Overhaul PostponedApril 17, 2009 A bill that would mandate fines on pet food companies that fail to report recalls quickly is under consideration by a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee. A House subcommittee postponed yesterday’s hearing on the FDA Revitalization Act until next Tuesday, June 19. In its current form, the bill, passed by the Senate this May, would establish an early-warning system for pet food recalls and animal illnesses, mandate fines for companies that fail to quickly report contaminated products, and, with the collaboration of pet industry players, write new federal standards for pet food ingredients, processing and labeling. It would also legalize the sale of turtles under 4 inches, which was banned in 1975 over concerns of salmonella poisoning in children who might put the small animals in their mouths. The Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce also canceled the mark-up sessions scheduled for today and tomorrow. Members needed more time to review the legislation and to decide on any additional amendments, a committee aid said. The subcommittee will review the bill at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The full committee is scheduled to discuss …
More Pet Deaths Linked To Menu RecallApril 17, 2009 Fourteen animal deaths – one dog and 13 cats – are being attributed to the Menu Foods Inc. recall issued March 16, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Nine of those deaths were cats that fell ill during a routine, quarterly taste test Menu Foods conducted with 25 cats and 15 dogs to test the products’ palatability, the FDA said yesterday. The taste tests, which began Feb. 27, were unrelated to consumer complaints the company received a week earlier, beginning Feb. 20, of pets becoming sick after eating the products, according to Stephen Sundlof, DVM, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. A contaminated shipment of wheat gluten used to thicken the gravy in 95 wet-style foods made by the private-label Streetsville, Ontario, pet food manufacturer, is the suspected source of illness, the FDA said. The investigation, however, is ongoing, the FDA said, and other sources are not being ruled out. Because wheat gluten is not usually a problematic source, the FDA is looking at the possibility that a mold or chemical toxin contaminated the wheat gluten, which was used by both a Kansas and New Jersey plant of Menu. So far, the effected foods, produced …
Vaccination And Parvovirus Testing In KittensApril 17, 2009 This column is based on abstracts presented at the 24th annual ACVIM Forum in Louisville (2006). It is a common practice to vaccinate a cat immediately upon its arrival to a shelter. This protocol is based on a resurgence of feline panleukopenia (FPV) cases. The vaccine is highly efficacious, with antibody titers appearing within a week. There is concern that the vaccine may cloud the diagnosis of panleukopenia. Practictioners rely on test kits to diagnose panleukopenia in cats with clinical signs. The vaccine is a modified-live virus and could result in the fecal shedding of virus, which would cross-react with the commonly used canine parvovirus test kits. In dogs it was shown that using an MLV vaccine resulted in positive fecal parvovirus testing for four to five days after vaccination.1 Researchers from the University of Florida looked at the effects of MLV vaccine on parvovirus shedding in kittens.2 A total of 64 SPF kittens (8 to 10 weeks old) were included in the study. The kittens were divided into groups and eight different vaccines were given. These vaccines included six MLV and two inactivated vaccines. Seven vaccines were given subcutaneously, one intranasally. Antibody titers …
Clean Vs. Contaminated SurgeryApril 17, 2009 Confused by the amount of contamination to expect during your patient’s surgery? The table below is a good start to help you predict contamination and refine your antibiotherapy: • Which type (s) of antibiotics? • What dosage? • How often? • For how long? Granted, such antibiotics should be based on a culture and sensitivity, but until those results are in, empiric antibiotherapy is in order. This surgery classification is derived from the wound classification created by the National Research Council in humans. It is based on the level of expected bacterial contamination. Surgery Classification Description Examples Clean Typically an elective surgery in a non-contaminated, non-traumatic and non-inflamed surgical site -Neuter -"Routine" laparotomy -Elective orthopedic surgery Clean contaminated Here surgery involves the respiratory, GI or genitourinary system, ie often a hollow organ -Enterotomy -Enterectomy -Cystotomy Contaminated Similar surgeries, but with leakage or a major break in aseptic technique -Enterotomy -Enterectomy -Cholecystectomy -Cystotomy Dry A hollow organ is ruptured -Infected surgical site -Septic peritonitis -Abscess -Ruptured …
Radiosurgery Put To Use In Oral CareApril 17, 2009 The greatest advantage of radiosurgery in veterinary dentistry and oral surgery is the ability to incise tissue with minimal tissue damage and accelerated healing. General practitioners have used antiquated electrocautery units for coagulation purposes and to remove minor dermal growths for decades. The newer 4.0 MHz radiowave surgery technology (I use Ellman International's) is a high-frequency, low-temperature technology that minimizes heat dissipation and thus reduces cellular alteration. This allows for greater patient comfort post surgery, enhanced healing and excellent tissue sample "readability" by the histopathologist. This new radiosurgery modality gives the surgeon the ability to cut with simultaneous coagulation. Cutting can even occur in juxtaposition to bone in the fully-filtered, fully-rectified mode at 4.0 MHz frequency without any danger of bone necrosis. A major advantage of this technology in oral usage is the production of "clean, blood free" surgical fields not noted with the scalpel as a cutting tool (see photo enclosures). There is also the elimination of surgeon-induced secondary infection that has been shown to be directly related to the scalpel. Ellman 4.0 MHz radiosurgery allows precise carving, sculpting and recontouring of oral soft tissues with a pressureless incision that is consistent with …
City Scraps Plans For Mandatory Spay, Neuter OrdinanceApril 17, 2009 In a marathon city council session that began Monday afternoon and lasted until half-past midnight Tuesday morning, the Huntington Beach, Calif., City Council dropped its pursuit of a mandatory spay, neuter and microchip ordinance in favor of incentive-based licensing fees that reward those who alter and microchip their pets. After hearing spirited comments from a strongly divided audience in the packed auditorium, the council eventually decided to scrap the original legislation and direct the city attorney to draft a new resolution that would create a five-tier registration fee scale. The scale would reduce licensing fees for those whose pets are altered and microchipped in an effort to provide incentives for dog and cat owners. The highest fees would be reserved for those whose pets are not spayed, neutered or microchipped. Currently, cats are not required to be licensed in the city. The new ordinance would require cat licensing and the same tiered fee system would apply, however dog licensing fees will be higher. If it passes, the exact fees will be established at a future council meeting. “It’s a great compromise solution,” said Council member Don Hansen, who was opposed to the original ordinance. …
Butler Animal Health To Distribute Generex’s Glucose RapidSprayApril 17, 2009 In a new agreement, Butler Animal Health Supply of Dublin, Ohio, will distribute Generex Biotechnology Corp.’s Glucose RapidSpray within the United States. Under the terms of the five-year deal, Butler has agreed to a minimum purchase of 20,000 units during the first year, such minimum purchase increasing each year culminating in 100,000 units during the fifth year. Glucose RapidSpray, a liquid spray that is absorbed by the inner lining of the mouth without any chewing or swallowing, is designed to provide additional dietary glucose to dogs and cats with diabetes mellitus. The product may also be used to combat lethargy or first signs of low blood sugar, according to Generex Biotechnology. “Although originally designed for people seeking additional glucose in their diets, we are pleased that the product has additional applications in the animal health industry,” said Rose Perri, chief operating officer of the Ontario-based company. “We extend credit to our business development and marketing team for their ingenuity in seeking other viable markets for our product pipeline.” <HOME>
