FDA Issues Planned Guidance for 2015February 2, 2015As many as 31 new or updated documents that would help veterinary drug manufacturers and other stakeholders meet the expectations of federal regulators may be released this year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine last week circulated a list of topics that may be addressed in draft form or as final guidance. The nonbinding documents would explain the agency’s interpretation of a regulatory issue or its policy and in many cases would steer stakeholders toward meeting regulatory goals. FDA issues more than 100 guidances each year to industries under its jurisdiction. The Center for Veterinary Medicine’s tentative list for 2015 includes: Draft Guidance for Industry: Compounding Animal Drugs from Bulk Drug Substances Guidance for Industry (GFI #61): FDA Approval of Animal Drugs for Minor Uses and for Minor Species (Revision) Draft Guidance for Industry: Combination New Animal Drugs Guidance for Industry (GFI #218): Cell-Based Products for Use in Animals Draft Guidance for Industry: Medicated Feed Assays Guidance for Industry (GFI #116): Studies to Evaluate the Safety of Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Human Food: Genotoxicity Testing—VICH GL23(R) Draft Guidance for Industry: Proprietary Names on Drug Labeling Draft Guidance for Industry: Design and Submission of Distributor …
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BIVI Unveils Updated WebsiteFebruary 2, 2015Veterinary drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. today announced the launch of a revamped website designed for better navigation and for improved performance on mobile devices. Among the features of the website, www.bi-vetmedica.com, are sections on the St. Joseph, Mo., company and its products, technology and charity program, BIVI Giving Well. “The goal of the new website was to improve site navigation and experience for customers and employees who are looking for information ranging from the products we manufacture to the job opportunities that are available in our growing U.S. business,” said Tim Bettington, vice president of sales and marketing. BIVI is the fifth-largest animal health company in the United States, according to the company. More website changes are coming, Bettington said. “We plan to add additional resources, information and tools to the website in 2015,” he said. BIVI, the U.S. division of the global company Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, has domestic operations in St. Joseph and in three Iowa cities: Ames, Fort Dodge and Sioux Center.
WVC, NAVC on Move in Future YearsFebruary 2, 2015Veterinarians accustomed to flying to Las Vegas in February or staying at Orlando’s Gaylord Palms Resort in January may have to rethink their plans. Western Veterinary Conference is moving to March show dates starting in 2016, and the North American Veterinary Community conference is switching times and locations beginning in February 2017. WVC traditionally is held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas each February, but the conference has overlapped and shared facilities with the fashion industry’s MAGIC trade show. “With Mandalay Bay currently hosting two major events at the same time, it adds tremendous pressure in coordinating logistics and increases the internal site pressures of servicing enormous crowds in all areas, such as parking, retail outlets, restaurants and more,” WVC stated. “The date change will allow some relief from that pressure and will work to enhance the participant experience in ways that have otherwise been out of WVC’s control.” The new WVC dates are March 6 to 10, 2016, March 5 to 9, 2017, and March 4 to 8, 2018. WVC’s upcoming 2015 show is set for Feb. 15 to 19. The changes prevent a schedule conflict with NAVC, which will move from mid-January show dates to …
Abaxis Enjoys Huge Jump in Sales, ProfitJanuary 30, 2015Third-quarter revenue and profit skyrocketed at Abaxis Inc. as the maker of point-of-care blood analyzers continued moving from direct sales to a distributor network. The Union City, Calif., company, which serves the veterinary and human medicine markets, on Thursday reported revenue of $59.5 million in the third quarter ending Dec. 31, 2014. The figure, a record, was a 46 percent spike over the same period in 2013. Gross profit jumped by 51 percent, to $29.2 million. About three-fourths of Abaxis’ business is in the veterinary arena. President and CEO Clint Severson praised the company’s distributors. Henry Schein Animal Health and Patterson Veterinary Supply began selling Abaxis products in the third quarter. “Our distribution partners are doing a great job of broadly embedding our leading-edge products and technologies within the medical and veterinary communities,” Severson said. The company is growing in other ways. Its acquisition of QCR & Trio Diagnostics Ltd., a United Kingdom-based distributor, became official in November 2014. Earlier in the year, the VCA Animal Hospitals chain agreed to stock Abaxis’ VetScan VS2 chemistry analyzers and diagnostic reagent discs. Most of the financial achievements were homegrown, company spokeswoman Valerie Goodwin-Adams said. “The success comes from the North American …
Tag Maker PetHub Adds Patient Records FeatureJanuary 30, 2015PetHub, a Seattle company that puts high-tech twists on the traditional dog and cat ID tag, has partnered with a veterinary software provider to help pet owners find their lost animals faster. The arrangement with VetData.net Marketplace allows veterinarians to integrate electronic patient records with the PetHub database so selected information about tag-carrying animals may be shared with someone who picks up a lost pet. At the same time, practices that take in a PetHub animal may use the database to locate the owner. PetHub tags are not microchips. The badges hang from a pet’s collar and provide a website address, serial number and QR code that may be used to identify the animal and find its owner. A 24-hour hot line may be called as well. “Recent statistics show that only 10 percent of dogs and cats are microchipped and of that 10 percent, 58 percent are unregistered or have out-of-date contact information,” said Tom Arnold, PetHub’s CEO. “That may be because the process seems overly complicated or overwhelming.” PetHub users can choose the medical information they want to reveal to participating veterinary practices and on the website. Such details, for example, may tell someone who recovered a …
Do You Know a Hero Vet or Vet Tech?January 29, 2015The American Humane Association is looking for the next Eva DeCozio and Signe Corbin. The Washington, D.C., animal welfare organization is accepting nominations for the second annual Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Technician Awards, which will be presented in September as part of the nationally broadcast Hero Dog Awards. Dr. DeCozio, DVM, of VCA Apache Junction in Higley, Ariz., and Corbin, of Westlake Animal Hospital in Austin, Texas, last year were the inaugural winners of the veterinarian and veterinary technician awards. Nominations are being taken through March 13 at www.herovetawards.org. Finalists selected by a panel of judges will be entered in a public vote that runs from April 29 to July 13. Sponsoring the contest for the second time is veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. of Florham Park, N.J. “This year’s winners will be greatly deserving of all the accolades they receive, and we cannot wait to meet them in Los Angeles later this year,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, Zoetis’ group director of Companion Animal Veterinary Operations. The Hero awards “shine a bright spotlight on the best of the best,” said the American Humane Association’s president and CEO, Robin Ganzert, Ph.D. “Whether it’s …
Georgia Vet College to Host Conference in MarchJanuary 29, 2015 (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Post by The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians are invited to attend the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s 52nd Annual Veterinary Conference and Alumni Weekend, to be held March 27-28 at the UGA Center for Continuing Education. Hayley Murphy, DVM, director of veterinary services for Zoo Atlanta, will be the keynote speaker. She will discuss the Great Ape Heart Project, a multi-institutional effort aimed at investigating, diagnosing and treating cardiac disease in apes living in zoological settings. Other presentations will cover topics such as cushings disease, heartworm resistance, diabetes, radiography and compounding drugs, among others. Continuing education credits are available. Honors will also be awarded to distinguished alumni who have led accomplished careers in veterinary medicine. In addition, the annual conference provides training specifically for veterinary technicians. The 12th Annual GVTAA Technician Continuing Education Conference will be held March 28 at the Georgia Center. For details, visit vet.uga.edu/reunion.
First-Class Animal Transit Hub Coming to JFKJanuary 28, 2015The barking of dogs and the bellowing of cattle will compete with the roar of aircraft when The Ark at JFK opens in early 2016 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. A 178,000-square-foot animal handling, quarantine and veterinary operation is being built on the site of a vacant air cargo building in a $48 million project designed to ease the shipment of pets, horses, birds and livestock into and out of the Big Apple. An around-the-clock veterinary hospital will provide everything from general and internal medical services to emergency and critical care, surgery and advanced diagnostics. Overseeing the medicine side will be Lifecare Veterinary Health System, whose partners include Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey, the Veterinary Referral Center in Pennsylvania and East End Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center in New York. The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine assisted with the design of the privately owned Ark at JFK. “We developed The Ark concept to address the unmet needs for the import and export of companion, sporting and agricultural animals,” said founder John J. Cuticelli Jr., the chairman of Racebrook Capital. “The animal terminal will set new international airport standards for comprehensive veterinary, kenneling and quarantine …
Voyce Dog Monitor Available for PurchaseJanuary 28, 2015Voyce, a computerized collar that monitors a dog’s vital signs, is ready for the marketplace more than a year after winning acclaim at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. The $299 device, which requires a prepaid subscription plan, will ship in small, medium and large sizes in March, according to the manufacturer, i4C Innovations Inc. of Chantilly, Va. Orders also are being taken for extra-large collars, which should begin arriving on doorsteps in April. Voyce is being promoted to dog owners and to veterinarians, who can “partner with their clients,” i4C President Jeff Noce said. “By providing vets with objective data trends, previously difficult to obtain, there is now an opportunity for early detection and diagnosis, offering dogs, their pet parents and vets the ability to identify and implement treatment plans earlier and track treatment progress over time,” Noce said. Outfitted with WiFi technology, an accelerometer, sensors and a rechargeable battery, Voyce is designed to measure and transmit resting heart and respiratory rates, activity levels, rest patterns and calories burned. The data may be viewed on desktop and tablet computers and smartphones. Shared with veterinarians, the information helps “connect the dots between visits,” the company stated. The subscription plan …
Registration Opens in April for Free Eye ExamsJanuary 28, 2015Free eye screenings will be offered in May during the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists’ annual National Service Animal Eye Exam Event. The exams are open to certified and active working animals in the United States and Canada or those enrolled in a formal training program. Among the eligible occupations are guide, handicapped assistance, detection, military, search and rescue, and therapy. Registration for the eighth annual event, which is co-sponsored by Stokes Pharmacy of Mount Laurel, N.J., will run from April 1 to 30 at www.ACVOeyeexam.org. Owners or handlers of eligible service animals will receive a registration number allowing them to schedule a May eye appointment with a participating veterinary ophthalmologist. More than 7,000 animals were served in 2014 and more than 30,000 over the program’s seven years. While dogs are most commonly examined under the program, other animals, such as horses and a donkey, were checked in 2014. ACVO reported that the exams have rooted out eye ailments in hundreds of animals. One guide dog, Swap, was diagnosed in 2012 with pigmentary uveitis, a condition that affects the vision of golden retrievers. “Had I not gone to the event and had Swap’s eyes checked, …
