Veterinarian enrollment open for 2018 Diabetes PetCare AllianceSeptember 14, 2018Merck Animal Health, Purina, and Zoetis are joining forces for the fifth year in a row to support the Diabetes PetCare Alliance. The program provides free diabetes education and diagnostic tools to veterinarians and owners. Last year, sponsors lifted the enrollment cap on participating veterinary practices; as a result, the number of cases diagnosed through the program increased significantly, from approximately 300 pets in 2016 to 535 in 2017. Studies show that while believed to be underdiagnosed, diabetes mellitus affects an estimated one in 230 cats and one in 300 dogs. Since 2014, the alliance has helped veterinarians screen thousands of pets for diabetes and, in turn, jump-started management and monitoring of newly diagnosed patients. The program is timed to prepare veterinary practices for Pet Diabetes Month in November. Veterinarians who enroll in the Diabetes PetCare Alliance program gain access to tools and resources related to diabetes awareness and screening. In addition, clients whose pets are diagnosed during the program period receive a free disease management kit from participating clinics. The kits include the following: One AlphaTRAK 2 Blood Glucose Monitoring System from Zoetis One 6-lb. bag of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets DM Dietetic Management …
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Kindred Biosciences joins AAEP educational partnersSeptember 4, 2018Kindred Biosciences Inc. has joined the American Association of Equine Practitioners' (AAEP) Educational Partner Program. Educational Partners provide resources and education through the AAEP to equine veterinarians and horse owners to improve animal health and welfare. "KindredBio's partnership with the AAEP brings together two organizations that share a passion for improving equine wellness," said Denise Bevers, co-founder and COO. "Our company is focused on addressing the numerous unmet medical needs that equine veterinarians encounter daily. In addition, many of us at KindredBio are horse owners, so we understand there is no better equine partner than the AAEP." At the upcoming AAEP convention in San Francisco, the company will be the Health and Wellness Initiative sponsor, will underwrite a Sunrise Session, and will have a large presence in the exhibit hall. The company focuses on drug development for cats, dogs, and horses. Equine products in development include a product for control of pyrexia (fever) in horses, which is currently under review by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. The company becomes the 11th equine health corporation in the AAEP's Educational Partnership Program. The 10 other AAEP Educational Partners are Boehringer Ingelheim, Cargill, Dechra Veterinary …
Zoetis Core EQ Innovator equine vaccine fights five core diseasesAugust 24, 2018Zoetis' new Core EQ Innovator equine vaccine contains all five core equine disease antigens—West Nile, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, tetanus, and rabies—in one vaccine. Core EQ Innovator provides a safe and effective immune response against the five core equine disease antigens as demonstrated in safety and efficacy trials, Zoetis stated, adding that the vaccine has been field tested in more than 1,000 horses with 99.7 percent of horses being reaction free.2,3 "Viral respiratory and neurologic diseases are the leading preventable causes of death in horses," said Jacquelin Boggs, DVM, MS, DACVIM, senior veterinarian, Equine Technical Services at Zoetis. "While annual vaccination against the core equine diseases has long been an established standard of care, Core EQ Innovator will simplify compliance and help provide protection to all horses against these deadly diseases. We trust this vaccine will better equip veterinarians with the tools they need to help protect the health and well-being of horses." All of the disease antigens in Core EQ Innovator are backed by the Zoetis Equine Immunization Support Guarantee, which provides horse owners and veterinarians with vaccination support, including diagnostic testing and treatment, the company stated. Available in a 1-mL dose and safe …
Veterinary practice trends webinar highlights further industry consolidationAugust 17, 2018In just five years, 25 percent of veterinary practices, accounting for half of all veterinary visits, will be corporately owned, according to Brakke Consulting. During a webinar presented at the end of June, "Hot Topics in Veterinary Practice," Brakke senior consultant John Volk said myriad variables were contributing to the trend: looming mass veterinarian retirement, fewer vets wanting to own practices, low interest rates and high interest for investors, and more. The webinar also discussed the largest veterinary consolidators; Banfield Pet Hospital and VCA lead the way with nearly 2,000 practices; National Veterinary Associates counts more than 400 clinics, and VetCor has more than 200. Something corporate outfits can offer that consumers want is the convenience of pet health plans, which allow pet owners to pay in regular installments, increase clinic visits and revenue, improve patient care, attract new clients, and build a bond between the practice and the client. To counteract corporate sales, Volk said associates should work with a current owner, partner with others, and focus on one- and two-doctor practices. Other sectors of the profession mimic the consolidation trend. The top five animal drug manufacturers, Bayer Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, Elanco Animal Health, …
Zoetis completes $2 billion acquisition of AbaxisAugust 1, 2018Zoetis Inc. announced on July 31 the completion of its acquisition of Abaxis, a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of diagnostic instruments for veterinary point-of-care services for approximately $2 billion. The acquisition, first announced on May 16, aims to enhance Zoetis' presence in veterinary diagnostics, a category of the animal health industry with approximately 10 percent compound annual growth over the last three years. "Abaxis, with its VetScan family of diagnostic instruments, brings Zoetis experienced colleagues and a proven, competitive platform for growth in diagnostics," said Juan Ramón Alaix, CEO of Zoetis. "By leveraging our global scale and direct customer relationships in approximately 45 countries, we can help Abaxis accelerate that growth in the U.S. and worldwide. Together, we can bring more veterinarian customers comprehensive solutions to predict, prevent, detect, and treat disease in animals." Zoetis executives will comment on the acquisition and provide updated financial guidance at the company's second quarter 2018 financial results webcast and conference call on Aug. 2 at 8:30 a.m. (ET). Investors and the public may access the live webcast by visiting the Zoetis website at http://investor.zoetis.com/events-presentations.
Zoetis launches mobile app version of VetVance websiteJuly 13, 2018Zoetis has launched a mobile version of its VetVance website. VetVance, a free educational resource, provides veterinarians, veterinary students, recent graduates, and veterinary technicians with online content relating to professional development, business skills, professional stewardship, financial literacy, and personal wellness. The new mobile app, available for use on iOS smartphones/tablets and Android smartphones, features many of the tools found on the VetVance website, including courses, course progress tracking, and registrant profiles. Registrants who use VetVance span multiple areas of interest, including small-, large-, and production-animal medicine, as well as academia, laboratory, industry, and other areas. They represent a range of professional veterinary experience and include nearly 8,000 students enrolled in, and more than 6,000 practicing veterinarian graduates from, a U.S. or Caribbean college of veterinary medicine. "Currently, VetVance has nearly 17,000 registrants globally," said Christine Jenkins, DVM, DACVIM, vice president and chief medical officer, Veterinary Medical Services and Outcomes Research at Zoetis. "This new mobile app will provide additional access for users, and more opportunities for Zoetis to reach an even broader audience with important messaging around topics of greatest interest to the veterinary professional, including personal wellness and financial literacy." The free …
Zoetis awards $200K in grants for heartworm researchJune 12, 2018Zoetis has awarded three teams of scientists with $200,000 in research grants to support projects that will help advance understanding of the fundamentals of heartworm and explore novel interventions to help prevent it. "Heartworm disease is a debilitating and potentially fatal condition, particularly in dogs and cats," said Debra Woods, Ph.D., research director and head of parasitology global therapeutics research at Zoetis. "New therapies are likely to be required as heartworm resistance to current therapies develops over time." Grant recipients are: Sean Forrester, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Guilherme G. Verocai, DVM, MSc, Ph.D., DACVM, director of the Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine Mostafa Zamanian, Ph.D., and Lyric Bartholomay, Ph.D., of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine "We were impressed with the caliber of the innovative research proposals we received and selected three that will augment our internal research and development and could lead to new scientific insights in parasitic disease, in particular, heartworm disease," said Dr. Woods. The research grants were awarded by a committee comprised of leaders from across divisions and disciplines, with external …
Zoetis to buy Abaxis for $1.9 billionMay 16, 2018In an effort to gain a greater foothold in the veterinary diagnostics category, Zoetis veterinary drug corporation will acquire Abaxis diagnostic equipment manufacturer in a $1.9 billion deal, which was announced Wednesday. The acquisition is expected to close before the end of the year. According to MarketsandMarkets research firm, the worldwide veterinary diagnostics market is expected grow from $2.3 billion in 2017 to $3.6 billion in 2022. Zoetis, whose diagnostics business accounts for less than 1 percent of its overall annual revenue of $5.3 billion for 2017, seeks to leverage that expanding category. In a statement, the company reported it expects the sector to "continue to grow faster than the animal health industry, with growth in the mid to high single digits, driven by international adoption of point-of-care diagnostic instruments due to rising medicalization rates, increasing standard of veterinary care, and the convenience of in-clinic testing." Abaxis, headquartered in Union City, Calif., reported revenue of $227 million in 2017. The company manufactures chemistry and hematology diagnostic instruments and consumable discs, kits, and cartridges for the animal health industry. It recently launched its VetScan FLEX4 Rapid Test to detect heartworm, Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma …
American Humane Hero Veterinarian, Veterinary Nurse Awards voting openMay 7, 2018Voting has opened for the fifth annual American Humane Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Nurse Awards sponsored by Zoetis. A panel of veterinary professionals and animal care experts reviewed more than 200 nominations and has selected 10 veterinarians and veterinary nurses as finalists. The winners will be flown to Los Angeles to be honored on Sept. 29 as part of the eighth annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards, sponsored by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and Zoetis. The Hero Dog Awards will air nationwide as a two-hour special on Hallmark Channel this fall. "Veterinarians and veterinary nurses are heroes to our animals, and to us," said Robin Ganzert, Ph.D., president and CEO of American Humane. "These dedicated professionals work behind the scenes and without fanfare to keep these family members happy and healthy. We and the nation thank them, one and all!" "Our finalists are outstanding examples of the veterinary community," said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, DABVP, executive director, Zoetis Petcare marketing. "The American Humane Hero Veterinarian and Veterinary Nurse Awards are Zoetis' way of giving back to those who keep our best friends healthy and strengthen the life-enhancing, even life-saving human-animal bond. Congratulations to …
Zoetis launches #MyVetIsCore sweepstakes April 24, 2018 The Zoetis #MyVetIsCore Sweepstakes invites horse owners to express their appreciation for their veterinarian. Until May 22, 2018, horse owners can visit MyVetIsCore.com to enter for a chance to win weekly prizes as well as a grand prize. Eligible participants can upload a photo of their horse and veterinarian, and share why their veterinarian is "core" to their horse's health and wellness. Once a photo is uploaded, horse owners may share the graphic via their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account. "We launched the #MyVetIsCore Sweepstakes as a platform of encouragement—to showcase the many ways veterinarians improve the health of horses and the lives of horse owners," said Adrienne McAleer, equine marketing innovation manager for the company. "Equine wellness requires a dedicated team, from efficacious products to the trusted bond between horse owners and their veterinarians, to help protect horses." "It's vital that horse owners work closely with their veterinarian to help protect their horse from grave disease risks," said Kevin Hankins, DVM, senior equine technical services veterinarian for Zoetis. "Providing this level of protection begins with annual vaccination against the five core diseases. More than diseases, they can be a death sentence, and this is a threat we do …
