Weekly News – 02/02/2010
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| Veterinary Advantage would like to thank its sponsors in promoting excellence in animal health sales including Abbott Animal Health, Bovie, IDEXX, Intervet/Schering Plough, Merial, Midmark, Ethicon/Novartis, Sempermed, UltiCare and VSSI. |
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Top Stories Vet experts offer 2010 outlook Novartis names Jimenez as CEO New Zone Sales Management announced for Health o meter® Professional Scale Low calorie label for pet food confusing, study shows Study clears pork from H1N1 concerns Abaxis expands Veterinary Advisory Board AKC announces most popular dogs AVMA supports proposal for more wildlife and zoo vets Weatherly Aircraft agrees to acquire equine product lines |
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Products to Watch Intervet/Schering-Plough introduces Resflor Gold FDA’s VMAC to look at risk minimization program of ProHeart 6 |
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Events Brakke Consulting will present 2010 overview at conferences NIAA Annual Meeting to be held March 15-17 February Is Pet Dental Health Month Intervet/Schering-Plough launches poultry Web site |
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Top Stories |
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Vet experts offer 2010 outlook Veterinary Practice News asked veterinary leaders to envision advances and other influences likely to affect veterinary practice in 2010 and beyond. The insights covered everything from targeted therapies to regenerative medicine, diagnostic imaging to diet and nutrition. Among the findings, veterinary leaders expect to see an increase in specialists and specialized procedures such as minimally invasive; an increase use of digital imaging; more use of targeted therapy; advances in regenerative medicine; and dietary changes such as diets that support joint health in pets. |
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Novartis names Jimenez as CEO Novartis named Joe Jimenez as CEO, replacing Daniel Vasella. Novartis COO Joerg Reinhard also will leave the company and his position will disappear. |
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New Zone Sales Management announced for Health o meter® Professional Scale The maker of Health o meter® Professional scales, Pelstar LLC, announced a change to its sales organization, moving to a zone management structure in 2010. Chris Manning now has responsibility for the Western United States and Canada, plus Asia. Nicolo Anastasi will oversee sales for Eastern Canada, the Northeast, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Tolis Demertzis has the sales leadership responsibility for the South and Southeastern United States and Europe. Harvey Schoener, Health o meter® Professional VP of Sales and Marketing, will lead the zone management team. |
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Low calorie label for pet food confusing, study shows Dog and cat owners buying weight-control diets for their overweight pets are faced with a confusing two-fold variation in calorie density, recommended intake, and wide range cost of low-calorie pet foods, according to a study by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The study, published this month in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, examined nearly 100 commercially available diets with weight management claims. Among their findings is that dry dog foods range in calorie density from 217 to 440 kilocalories per cup (kcal/cup) and a recommended intake that ranged from 0.73 to 1.47 times the dog’s resting energy requirement. The diets also varied wildly in price, from 4 cents to more than $1.10 per kilocalorie. Under federal guidelines, pet foods labeled “lite,” “light,” “low calorie,” “less calorie,” or “low calorie” must provide the caloric content. Foods with a light, lite, or low-calorie designation must also adhere to a maximum kilocalorie per kilogram restriction. However, a researcher pointed out that more than half of the foods evaluated in the study exceeded this maximum. Foods without these designations currently are allowed, but not required, to provide the caloric content on the label. Efforts are currently underway to make this information required on all pet food labels. |
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Study clears pork from H1N1 concerns A new USDA study confirms that meat and tissue from pigs that were exposed to two strains of the Novel H1N1 2009 influenza virus did not contain the virus, Pork news staff reported. The results were published in the Public Library of Science’s online journal, PLoS ONE. Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service at the National Animal Disease Center, which is part of USDA’s National Centers for Animal Health in Ames, Iowa, conducted the study. For the study, researchers inoculated 30, five-week-old piglets with the Novel H1N1 virus to determine the pigs’ susceptibility. A control group of five pigs were not inoculated. The inoculated animals showed signs of upper respiratory disease consistent with influenza. There was no evidence that the virus had spread to any other parts of the animal’s body. These latest findings support World Health Organization’s stance that pork harvested from swine that had been infected with Novel H1N1 influenza and recovered can be safely handled and eaten, following standard meat-handling hygiene practices. |
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Abaxis expands Veterinary Advisory Board Four practitioners are joining the Veterinary Advisory Board at Abaxis Inc. This brings the number of board members to eight highly respected veterinarians, according to Abaxis. New to the advisory board and their specialties: Mary Anna Thrall, DVM, MS, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists – Clinical Pathology; Gary Norsworthy, DVM, Diplomate, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners – Feline; Mark A. Mitchell, DVM, MS, Ph.D, associate professor of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine – Exotics and Wildlife; Heidi Ward, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Internal Medicine and Oncology. |
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AKC announces most popular dogs According to American Kennel Club(R) (AKC) 2009 registration statistics, for the 19th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America. The following are the top 10 most popular dogs in the United States in 2009: Labrador Retriever; German Shepherd Dog; Yorkshire Terrier; Golden Retriever; Beagle; Boxer; Bulldog; Dachshund; Poodle; and Shih Tzu. |
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AVMA supports proposal for more wildlife and zoo vets The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced its support of newly introduced federal legislation that will help bolster the nation’s supply of veterinarians specializing in the care of wildlife and zoo animals. The Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Medicine Enhancement Act, introduced Jan. 21 by U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., will fill a critical need in protecting the country’s animals, environment and its people. The bipartisan legislation aims to build the country’s cadre of wildlife and zoo veterinarians on several fronts. It will create new funded positions for specialized veterinarians in both clinical and research settings. It will help reduce the amount of educational debt veterinary students amass during their education. It will help veterinary schools develop curriculum specializing in health management of wildlife in their natural habitat and in captivity. And it expands the number of educational and training programs in wildlife and zoological medicine for veterinary students. |
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Weatherly Aircraft agrees to acquire equine product lines Weatherly Aircraft Company announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire certain equine product lines from California-based Sports Prescriptions, Inc. The product lines include Equi Wear(TM), Double Diamond Gloves(TM), Force Field Magnetics(TM) and Sports Rx(TM). The market for the products is directed toward apparel for the horse rider and various therapy products for horses. It is contemplated that the acquisition will be completed within the next 60 days, however, during the transition period, Weatherly’s new subsidiary Equine Health Products, Inc., will immediately act as an exclusive distributor for the products. The company said it intends to relocate the majority of the manufacturing operations from Asia and India to the United States. |
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Products to Watch |
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Intervet/Schering-Plough introduces Resflor Gold Intervet/Schering-Plough announced the introduction of Resflor Gold, the only medication on the U.S. market that combines the antibiotic florfenicol and the NSAID flunixin meglumine into a single dose for treatment of bovine respiratory disease. |
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FDA’s VMAC to look at risk minimization program of ProHeart 6 The Food and Drug Administration announced its Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee (VMAC) will meet in late March to talk about new data from its risk minimization plan regarding Pfizer’s ProHeart 6, DVM Newsmagazine reported. The first 18 months of data generated from the agency’s Risk Minimization Action Plan (RiskMAP) will be presented. Moxidectin was reintroduced to the veterinary market in 2008, following a controversial FDA decision to remove it from the market in 2005 because of safety concerns. “The purpose of the RiskMAP,” FDA explains, “is to ensure safe and appropriate use of ProHeart® 6 in order to achieve the maximum benefits of heartworm prevention while minimizing the risk to dogs. CVM will be presenting the results of our analysis of 18 months of data generated under the RiskMAP and are seeking feedback from the expert panel,” the agency reports in a prepared statement. The meeting is open to the public. Interested persons may present data, information or views, orally or in writing. Written submissions may be made to Aleta Sindelar, CVM (HFV-3), FDA, 7519 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855 by March 17. |
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Events |
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Brakke Consulting will present 2010 overview at conferences Brakke Consulting will be presenting its annual U.S. Animal Health Industry Overview at the North American Veterinary Conference and the Western Veterinary Conference in 2010. This year’s Overview will contain attitudes of AH executives regarding the state and future of the industry from its fall survey, a special section on the companion animal category of supplements and BCI’s thoughts on 2010 and beyond for the industry. The WVC Overview will be held Feb. 16, 2-4 p.m., at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas. To register, go to www.brakkeconsulting.com and look for the Overview link in the “What’s New” box. Payment by major credit card is required at time of registration. |
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NIAA Annual Meeting to be held March 15-17 The 2010 NIAA Annual Meeting, held March 15-17 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., will focus on the One Health Initiative and, through its general session and committee meetings, will explore how the initiative may impact the various species and segments within production animal agriculture and animal health management. To register for the meeting, go to http://www.animalagriculture.org/ and click on the 2010 NIAA Annual Meeting link. |
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February Is Pet Dental Health Month The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is encouraging cat and dog owners to regularly brush their pet’s teeth and see their vet for checkups as part of Pet Dental Health Month, celebrated every February. “Most people have no idea that dental health is so important to their pets, and that’s why Pet Dental Health Month is such a great idea,” explains Dr. Larry Corry, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). According to the association, periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed problem in dogs and cats, CNN recently reported. The organization estimates that by the age of 2, 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have some form of periodontal disease. It has been linked to diabetes, strokes, kidney disease and other life-threatening disorders. It can lead to painful infections within the mouth; in severe cases these infections can spread and become life-threatening conditions. The AVMA, a sponsor of Pet Dental Health Month, offers an informative video giving step-by-step instructions on how to brush a pet’s teeth. The Pet Dental Month Web site, http://www.petdental.com, includes tips from a veterinary expert on pet dental health, Dr. Brook Niemiec. For more information, visit http://www.avma.org. |
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Intervet/Schering-Plough launches poultry Web site Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has launched the Intestinal Health Center for Poultry Web site (www.ihc-poultry.com), designed to keep producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, academics and students informed about the latest developments in this segment of poultry production. The Web site has a wealth of practical, science-driven information and ideas to help producers manage costly gut diseases more effectively through vaccination, nutrition, sanitation and prudent drug use, the company said. |
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