Zoetis Buys Fish Drug Maker PharmaqNovember 3, 2015Zoetis Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of animal drugs and vaccines, is entering the fish sector with the $765 million acquisition of Norway-based Pharmaq. The purchase of the aquaculture drug maker from the investment firm Permira is expected to close by Nov. 10. “Pharmaq strengthens our core livestock business by providing market leadership in aquatic health and a strong late-stage pipeline,” said Juan Ramón Alaix, CEO of Florham Park, N.J.-based Zoetis. Pharmaq’s product line includes the vaccine Alpha Ject and the parasiticide Alpha Max. The Zoetis aquatic medicine footprint has been tiny. The company offers only the livestock antibiotic Terramycin/LA for use in fish outside the United States, a company spokeswoman said. Pharmaq, a leader in farmed fish vaccines, had sales of $80 million in 2014, or less than 2 percent of Zoetis’ $4.8 billion in revenue. Zoetis employs 10,000 people, compared with Pharmaq’s 200. Pharmaq will enjoy a high level of independence, said Alejandro Bernal, Zoetis’ executive vice president of strategy, commercial and business development. “To ensure its continued success, the Pharmaq business will run largely as a stand-alone operation within Zoetis and maintain its focus on critical customer needs and R&D milestones,” Bernal said. Joining Zoetis will …
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Henry Schein to Purchase 80% of VetstreetNovember 3, 2015VCA Inc.’s chain of more than 600 veterinary hospitals could grow after the sale of its Vetstreet subsidiary to Henry Schein Animal Health. The transaction, announced Monday and expected to close in early 2016, would give Henry Schein Animal Health an 80.1 percent controlling interest in Vetstreet. VCA would retain a minority stake in the marketing, education and software company, which focuses on veterinary medicine and pet owners. The sale price was not reported, but Los Angeles-based VCA hinted at one, saying the company expects to “record a gain of $30 million to $35 million, subject to transaction costs.” The proceeds, VCA added, would be reinvested “in animal hospital acquisitions and share repurchases.” Vetstreet recorded 2014 sales of $43 million, according to Henry Schein Inc., the parent company of Henry Schein Animal Health and a distributor of products and services to the veterinary, medical and dental professions. “Vetstreet will nicely complement our animal health businesses,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of Melville, N.Y.-based Henry Schein. “We look forward to multiple opportunities for business synergies, including with our AVImark and ImproMed animal health software products,” Bergman added. VCA, which also operates Antech veterinary diagnostic laboratories, sees a …
Wisconsin’s Vet Teaching Hospital Gets FaceliftNovember 3, 2015The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine reported that its UW Veterinary Care Small Animal Hospital recently underwent a remodeling project to help accommodate cats and small exotic pets. The donor-supported project converted two conference rooms into a single suite containing a waiting room specifically for cats and small exotic animals and two exam rooms with cat-friendly features. For instance, the exam rooms feature cat beds, bolted to the walls at waist level. These, in addition to new cat perches in the UWVC feline ward, were donated by Audrey Martino in memory of her cat, Chester, according to the university. “It really helps reduce stress for our patients, and probably our clients, something we’re always happy to do,” said Ruthanne Chun, hospital director. “It also gives us more space to accommodate our growing caseload.” When the school’s teaching hospital was constructed in 1983, it was designed to accommodate between 10,000 and 12,000 patient visits per year, the university noted. Now the hospital accommodates about 24,000 visits per year. “This is why donors are so vital,” Chun said. “They can help us …
Going Broke, UC Davis Fracture Program Needs HelpOctober 30, 2015UC Davis veterinary students learning to save the lives of pets are now trying to breathe life into a service that has assisted hundreds of homeless animals. The Shelter/Rescue Fracture Surgery Program Fund, which was founded in 2008 and relies on donations, is running out of money, second-year student Ayswarya Sundaram said. “The program has been funded for around $30,000 a year, but more recently the costs are closer to $80,000,” Sundaram said. Collaborating with shelter and rescue organizations, the service accepts young dogs and cats in need of fracture repairs. University of California, Davis, veterinarians donate their time in the operating rooms at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, but equipment, drugs and post-surgery care must be paid for. The costs average $800 per patient, Sundaram said. The surgeries also serve as instructional sessions for veterinary students. “[The] fracture program is amazing because it helps us learn about orthopedic surgeries while at the same time helping shelter animals,” one student said. “If this program discontinues, due to lack of funds, it would be a great loss to us and the animals.” More than 450 fractures in shelter and rescue animals have been repaired over the years. Without medical intervention, …
New Test Identifies Troublesome Equine FoodsOctober 30, 2015Veterinary diagnostics expert W. Jean Dodds, DVM, has released a version of the NutriScan food sensitivity test for the equine market. The saliva-based test requires a horse to chew on a cotton rope, which is then checked to detect the animal’s intolerance to different foods. They include alfalfa, apples, barley, Bermuda grass, brome grass, carrots, corn, cotton seed, fescue grass, flaxseed, Kentucky blue grass, meadow foxtail, molasses, oatmeal, orchard grass, red clover, rice, rye, rye grass, sugar beets, timothy grass and wheat. NutriScan, which also comes in canine and feline kits, “is simply another tool in a horse caregiver’s arsenal,” Dr. Dodds said. “Show, racing and recreational horses need to be in top condition at all times,” she said. “Horses do stop to pass stool. Several stops, though, are aggravating for the rider and may indicate that the horse is uncomfortable, distressed and in pain.” NutriScan for horses required two years of research, said Dodds, the founder of Hemopet, a Garden Grove, Calif., diagnostics laboratory and canine blood bank. NutriScan canine and feline saliva tests were released five and two years ago, respectively. The equine test is not the first on the market. Competing products examine the antibodies IgE …
Jaguar Optimistic About Diarrhea DrugOctober 30, 2015Jaguar Animal Health, which last year launched its initial gastrointestinal product, over-the-counter Neonorm Calf, expects to enter the prescription drug market in the first half of 2016. The San Francisco company has submitted data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in support of Canalevia, which would be used to treat chemotherapy-induced diarrhea in dogs. Jaguar is requesting MUMS (minor use in a major species) status. Also in the prescription pipeline is a formulation of Canalevia to treat acute diarrhea in dogs. A pivotal efficacy trial could begin by year’s end, and Jaguar hopes to file a New Animal Drug Application (NADA) in 2016. Both Canalevia versions contain the active ingredient crofelemer, a botanical extract of the Croton lechleri tree. Jaguar is investigating Canalevia formulations for cats and horses. The manufacture of enteric-coated crofelemer tablets would be done by Patheon Inc. of Durham, N.C., under a contract signed in mid-October. Patheon makes a similar product for human HIV patients suffering from noninfectious diarrhea. In other news announced this month, Jaguar: Signed a four-year supply agreement with India-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. for the production of crofelemer. Completed an additional field study of Neonorm Calf, an enteric-coated tablet administered …
N.Y. Hospital Opens Pet Cancer InstituteOctober 30, 2015New York’s Animal Medical Center, billed as the world’s largest small animal practice, this month added another claim to fame: a top-of-the-line oncology center. The 2,470-square-foot Cancer Institute fills the remodeled uppermost floor of the eight-story hospital on East 62nd Street in Manhattan. The uniting of the hospital’s oncology services was made possible through a $5 million gift from Animal Medical Center trustee Elaine Langone and her husband, Kenneth. “The core mission of the institute is to provide the highest quality of life for animals with cancer as well as to maximize the amount of time owners can spend with their beloved pets,” Elaine Langone said. “Having lost quite a few dogs to cancer, Ken and I believed the new Cancer Institute … was an initiative worth supporting.” Four board-certified oncologists staff the institute along with 18 other hospital employees. One of the doctors, Rachel St-Vincent, DVM, MVSc, Dipl. ACVR, is the state’s only onsite, full-time radiation oncologist, a hospital spokeswoman said. Animal Medical Center, which opened in 1910, employs about 100 veterinarians and sees 44,000 patients a year. The nonprofit hospital has long participated in pet cancer research. Collaboration between Animal Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and drug …
Penn Vet to Install Robotics-Controlled Equine Imaging SystemOctober 30, 2015The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) will soon sport a robotics-controlled imaging system for use in the standing and moving horse. Penn Vet says it is the first veterinary hospital in the world to own the revolutionary technology, which was created by Four Dimensional Digital Imaging (4DDI) of New York City. The equipment will be installed in New Bolton Center’s high-speed treadmill building in December. The Equimagine imaging system consists of four robots that can perform multiple modalities: CT, fluoroscopy, tomosynthesis, digital radiography and a high-speed radiographic camera and will be able to operate at up to 16,000 frames per second. The system will be used in conjunction with a high-speed treadmill. Existing CT systems require the horse to be anesthetized, and are limited to the parts of the animal that fit into the cylindrical machines, Penn Vet noted. The Equimagine system’s robotics-driven design provides an unlimited range of motion and unencumbered access to the horse’s entire anatomy. The quality and resolution of the real-time images created with the system far exceeds …
There are Times When a Cat WANTS to go to the VetOctober 29, 2015Chances are you’ve seen more cats desperately wanting to leave your veterinary clinic rather than enter it. For the Mill Road Vet Clinic in Whangarei, Northland in New Zealand, it was quite the opposite. Earlier this month staff at the clinic found four kittens in a box that they believed were between three and four weeks old and abandoned by their mother, Independent reports. However, the staff was wrong. The veterinary clinic posted on Facebook, “This morning we noticed a tabby cat hanging around our front door, trying to sneak in every time a client arrived. When we realized it wasn’t going to go away, we picked her up [and] discovered she was a feeding Mum. Then the penny dropped! Sure enough, we introduced her to the ‘orphan’ kittens [and] there was a very happy reunion! Presumably she had been in the box too [and] escaped before we arrived for work. She’s probably been prowling around all night looking for her kidnapped kittens!” Currently, the mama …
Purdue Breaks Ground on Equine CenterOctober 29, 2015Purdue University broke ground in late October for its $8.8 million Centaur Equine Diagnostic and Surgical Center, located in Shelbyville, Ind., near Indiana Grand. The facility will serve as a satellite facility of the College of Veterinary Medicine, providing specialty medical and surgical services for horse owners and supporting equine research and education of future equine specialists. “This is an exciting day that marks a major milestone in our dream of creating a state-of-the-art equine referral hospital on location in the heart of Indiana’s horse racing industry, enabling our college to bring advanced medical and surgical services directly to the equine athletes and their owners,” said Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and professor of veterinary anatomic pathology. “This center will house the most technologically advanced medical equipment to diagnose and treat equine patients while also facilitating groundbreaking research and vital educational opportunities for students preparing for careers as equine specialists. “The location in proximity to Indiana’s two race tracks is especially significant …
