Weekly News – 04/06/2010
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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, and UltiCare. |
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Top Stories FDA releases list of prescription questions for pet owners Neogen acquires GeneSeek AVMA briefs Congress on antibiotics Small businesses join veterinarian in class action lawsuit against city guide Grant awarded to study equine adult stem cells Massachusetts horse owners warned of virus Midmark appoints two field clinical specialists for veterinary dental markets |
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Products to Watch Novartis and Morphogenesis to develop cancer vaccine IGEN Networks signs memorandum of understanding for rights to patented prion diagnostic technology Funding to develop improved vaccines against Foot-and-Mouth Disease awarded to consortium |
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Events Petzlife radio show to air every Saturday May 8 is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day |
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Worth Watching Author admits exaggeration in U.N. report on livestock |
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Top Stories |
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FDA releases list of prescription questions for pet owners The FDA recently released a list of “10 Questions to ask your vet” when medication is prescribed on its Consumer Updates page. The questions were: Why has my pet been prescribed this medication and how long do I need to give it?; How do I give the medication to my pet?; How often should the medication be given and how much should I give each time?; How do I store the medication?; What should I do if my pet vomits or spits out the medication?; If I forget to give the medication, should I give it as soon as I remember or wait until the next scheduled dose?; Should I finish giving all of the medication, even if my pet seems to be back to normal?; Could this medication interact with other medications my pet is taking?; What reactions should I watch for, and what should I do if I see any side effects?; When should I bring my pet back for a recheck? For a complete list of the questions and information, visit the FDA’s Consumer Updates, Animal & veterinary page at www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates. |
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Neogen acquires GeneSeek Neogen Corporation announced that it purchased all the outstanding shares of GeneSeek, Inc., of Lincoln, Neb. GeneSeek is a commercial agricultural genetics laboratory. Founded in 1998, GeneSeek employs 36 and has grown rapidly in recent years, recording 2009 revenues of approximately $12.5 million. GeneSeek’s customers include some of the world’s largest animal and plant breeders and animal health companies. All of GeneSeek’s existing employees are expected to remain in their current positions in the Lincoln facilities under Neogen’s ownership. |
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AVMA briefs Congress on antibiotics The American Veterinary Medical Association recently briefed Congress on the uses of antibiotics and how they help protect animal health, providing in-depth scientific information on the necessity of antibiotic use for preventing and treating disease in companion animals and livestock. Two educational sessions were held by the AVMA with honorary hosts Rep. Kurt Schrader, DVM, (D-Ore.) and Sen. John Ensign, DVM, (R-Nev.), the only veterinarians serving in Congress. The discussions allowed congressional staffers to learn about when and how veterinarians utilize antibiotics to keep both food supply animals and household pets disease-free. The briefings were part of the AVMA’s continued efforts to educate Congress about the complex and crucial nature of treating America’s animals – and how the health of those animals impacts human health, whether through the food supply or through direct contact with pets. The AVMA is strongly opposed to H.R. 1549 and S. 619, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). The AVMA’s scientific experts have twice testified before Congress that broad-based antibiotic bans, such as PAMTA, would have adverse effects on animal and public health. |
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Small businesses join veterinarian in class action lawsuit against city guide A recent report for VIN News Service said that nine small businesses have joined a California veterinarian’s lawsuit that accuses the online review site Yelp of extortion, alleging that the site’s sales team demanded payment to hide negative reviews. The 39-page amended complaint shows that a cruise line, appliance repair company, bakery, pet grooming service and furniture store, are among the businesses that have signed on as class representatives. In addition to the extortion charge, the lawsuit accuses Yelp of fraudulent and unfair business practices, the report said. Yelp, based in San Francisco, is an online city guide. Yelp lawyers have not yet filed a response to the lawsuit though company officials have repeatedly denied any culpability in the case. A scheduling conference is set for April 26 in United States District Court, Central District of California. |
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Grant awarded to study equine adult stem cells An LSU equine researcher received a grant from the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation to study equine adult stem cells for repair of injured bone. Mandi Lopez, associate professor and director of the LSU Laboratory for Equine and Comparative Orthopedic Research, or LECOR, is the recipient of a competitive grant award. Dr. Jeffrey Gimble of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a collaborator on the grant, which will provide funding for a large scale investigation within LECOR. Broken bones are a common problem in horses, especially race horses. In the U.S., over 80 percent of horses killed in racing or training sustain a broken bone. Adult equine stem cells offer a promising solution to the challenges of fracture treatment in horses. “In studies within our laboratory, adult equine adipose-derived (ASCs) and bone marrow-derived (BMSCs) stem cells had the ability to form bone in cell experiments,” said Lopez. “In order to be placed at the site of the bone injury, stem cells are loaded onto absorbable carriers. To date, there has been little research on the bone forming ability of equine ASCs and BMSCs on different carriers. We plan to determine the best combinations of equine adult stem cells and carriers that increase the rate and quality of bone healing in the horse. Results from this study will significantly advance treatment of broken bones in the horse.” |
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Massachusetts horse owners warned of virus The state of Massachusetts is alerting horse owners, breeders and veterinarians to take precautions to prevent the spread of a contagious equine virus. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources said last week that four horses that were exposed to EHV-1 in New Jersey were later transported to Massachusetts. One of the horses has tested positive and showed symptoms of the virus, which can cause respiratory and neurological problems and is often fatal. The virus does not pose a threat to humans, the report said. Officials say vaccines are available for the disease and horse owners should discuss those with their vets. |
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Midmark appoints two field clinical specialists for veterinary dental markets Midmark Corporation announced the appointment of Danielle Heberle and David A. Rekart, II as field clinical specialists for the company’s veterinary dental products. In their new roles, Heberle and Rekart will be driving dental sales for Midmark by supporting veterinary field sales representatives; conducting field and distributor training and marketing support; organizing dental wet lab strategies; and building relationships with dealers and veterinary dental professionals. In addition, they will be responsible for providing clinical consultation to veterinary hospitals on dental radiology, high speed delivery systems and general dentistry. Heberle has extensive experience as a veterinary product sales representative, specializing in veterinary dentistry and participating in numerous dental wet labs. Rekart has more than 10 years of experience as an ER/critical care veterinary technician as well as experience as an equipment specialist for a veterinary supply company. |
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Products to Watch |
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Novartis and Morphogenesis to develop cancer vaccine Novartis Animal Health and Morphogenesis are planning to develop a potentially promising new cancer treatment platform, a report in Zenopa said. As part of an exclusive worldwide co-development agreement signed late last year, the firms are to create a number of cancer vaccines for dogs, while Novartis will also gain the rights to Morphogenesis’ canine and feline cancer cell lines. The two companies are set to work together closely to bring these products to market, with Morphogenesis due to receive a number of milestone payments based on the developmental and commercial progress of the drugs. |
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IGEN Networks signs memorandum of understanding for rights to patented prion diagnostic technology IGEN Networks Corp. announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bio Business Development Corp. International, Inc. (BBDC) to negotiate the acquisition of the exclusive global distribution rights to the patented lateral-flow diagnostic testing platform technology for rapid detection of the infectious prion protein diseases. Prion diseases are neuro-degenerative or “brain wasting” diseases with severe symptoms and are always fatal. They are transmissible across different species, the most commonly known being human contraction through infected beef. |
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Funding to develop improved vaccines against Foot-and-Mouth Disease awarded to consortium An international collaborative group of research institutions and industry announced that it has received approximately $2 million (U.S.) from the Wellcome Trust for a 3-year project to develop improved Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines. Researchers from the Institute for Animal Health (United Kingdom), University of Oxford (United Kingdom), Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (South-Africa), Agricultural Research Service, USDA – Foreign Animal Disease Research Unit at Plum Island (United States) and Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health (The Netherlands) have joined together to use the latest molecular biology techniques to improve conventional vaccines against this disease |
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Events |
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Petzlife radio show to air every Saturday The Petzlife Pet Show will air Saturday from 2 – 3 p.m. Central Standard Time on 830WCCO Minneapolis-St.Paul. Topics for the show will include pet oral care, pet health, behavior, grooming and more. Bud Groth, President/CFO of Petzlife, will co-host with WCCO anchor Steve Thomson. |
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May 8 is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Citizen Corps has declared May 8, 2010, National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day. The declaration is meant to raise awareness about the importance of planning for pets’ safety before disaster strikes. Citizen Corps is asking veterinarians and kennels to provide pet owners with tips on creating emergency plans for their companion animals. Additionally, the corps recommends partnering with a local pet store to hold an event offering pet disaster kit shopping lists and giveaways, such as identification tags. The AVMA offers an array of disaster preparedness resources, including “Saving the Whole Family,” a client brochure on ways of providing for pets during an emergency. The brochure and other disaster planning resources are available in the Animal Health section of the AVMA’s Web site at www.avma.org. |
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Worth Watching |
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Author admits exaggeration in U.N. report on livestock One of the authors of a 2006 United Nations’ report on livestock production and greenhouse gases is admitting that the report is exaggerated, BrownfieldAgNews reported. Pierre Gerber, a policy officer with the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, made the admission following a presentation by University of California-Davis professor Dr. Frank Mitloehner, who accused the U.N. of using faulty science in preparing their report. The report claimed that livestock production contributed 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases-even more than the transportation sector. “I must say honestly that he has a point-we factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn’t do the same thing with transport,” Gerber told the BBC. The U.N. report, titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow” is regularly cited by anti-meat groups blaming climate change on meat production. Earlier this year, the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change apologized after wrongly claiming the Himalayan glaciers could vanish within 25 years. |
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