Weekly News - 04/27/2010
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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 Intervet/Schering-Plough opens vaccine manufacturing facility Webster Veterinary will no longer carry Bayer line Midmark names field installation coordinator and casework specialist AVCO to offer free eye exams to service dogs in May FDA warns pet owners not to give dogs large bones Boehringer chairman says company may use deals, acquisition to fuel growth Repayment program to launch FDA seeks injunction against animal drug compounder |
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Products to Watch Abaxis, Inc. - Animal Health redesigns VetScan Rewards Program Web site, launches new VetScan brand |
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Top Stories |
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Intervet/Schering-Plough opens vaccine manufacturing facility Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced that it has opened a state-of-the-art production center for veterinary vaccines against bacterial infections. The company is reportedly investing $22 million in the new building, which has increased the floor space of the bacterial vaccine production unit by more than three-fold. It will have four hi-tech production lines for bacterial vaccines with a media preparation capacity in fermentors ranging from 200 to 1,500 liters. The facility, of which the building activities have started in December 2007, is fully compliant with current and anticipated regulatory requirements on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for veterinary medicines, with special sectors for bio-contained zones, the report said. In addition, the new facility allows production capacity to be expanded in order to meet the increasing demand for veterinary vaccines. |
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Webster Veterinary will no longer carry Bayer line Webster Veterinary reported that it has discontinued its relationship with Bayer Animal Health and will no longer represent Bayer’s companion animal health product line. The move is in response to Bayer Animal Health’s recent decision to sell its Advantage and K9 Advantix products directly to pet specialty retailers and pet specialty Internet sites, according to Webster. “Webster believes that veterinary professionals provide the highest level of care to our pets and are the best source for providing products, services, instruction and education to support this care,” said George Henriques, president of Webster Veterinary, a division of Patterson Companies of St. Paul, Minn. “We remain committed to supporting our industry and our veterinary professionals in every possible way. While we regret the need to discontinue our relationship with a business partner, we believe it is the right decision for Webster Veterinary and our industry.” Previously, the flea and tick products were only available through licensed veterinarians. Bob Walker, director of Communications and Public Policy for Bayer Animal Health, said that Webster Veterinary was very upfront about their decision to discontinue the partnership. “And we respect their decision,” said Walker, adding that Bayer Animal Health is expanding relationships with other distributors such as Butler Schein Animal Health and MWI Veterinary Supply. |
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Midmark names field installation coordinator and casework specialist Midmark Corporation recently appointed George Marino as a field installation coordinator and Nathan Suchland as a casework specialist for Midmark’s Veterinary Division. In his new role, Marino will be responsible for development, execution, installation and service support for veterinary distributor sales of Midmark’s Vet Vision™ line of digital dental X-ray equipment for veterinary clinics. As a casework specialist for Midmark’s veterinary products, Suchland will be responsible for helping customers design and install the cabinetry solutions that best meet their needs for new construction and remodel projects. He will also work to create product awareness and expand market share for Midmark’s veterinary casework. |
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AVCO to offer free eye exams to service dogs in May The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) is offering free eye exams to service dogs for the entire month of May. During the third annual ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Event, more than 180 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists will donate their skills to provide free screening eye examinations to service dogs across the United States and Canada. Service dog owners can register their animals for free eye exams on the ACVO Web page: www.acvoeyeexam.org through early May. |
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FDA warns pet owners not to give dogs large bones The Food and Drug Administration issued a reminder to consumers to toss out bones from their meals rather than feed them to their pets. The FDA stated 10 reasons it’s a bad idea, including: broken teeth, mouth or tongue injuries, and bones or fragments of bones getting stuck in a dog’s esophagus or even its stomach, which might require surgery. Bone fragments also can cause constipation. According to the FDA, “giving your dog a real bone could cause a bacterial infection of the abdomen, called peritonitis, when fragments poke holes in a dog’s stomach or intestines.” |
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Boehringer chairman says company may use deals, acquisition to fuel growth According to a report, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH Chairman Andreas Barner may use product deals and regional acquisitions to fuel growth as the drugmaker faces competition from lower-priced generics. The German company expects sales to be little changed and increased spending to weigh on earnings this year after reporting a 24 percent profit rise in 2009 and a 9.7 percent sales gain, said Barner in an interview. “We would never do anything that would endanger the independence of the company,” said Barner, the former head of research and development who took charge a year ago. “We have not so far planned anything which would be outrageously large. We will never do this. What we would consider is selected products in a country.” The last 12 months mark the most acquisitions in Boehringer’s 125-year history. The company purchased animal health assets from Pfizer Inc. in September for an undisclosed sum, and agreed in February to buy the shares it didn’t own in Japan’s SSP Co., a producer of over-the-counter drugs. |
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Repayment program to launch The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) supported the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for publishing the final rule for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). The rule, published recently in the Federal Register, outlines criteria for both the shortage situation designations and applicant eligibility for the loan repayment program. The program was authorized by the National Veterinary Medical Service Act (NVMSA) to bring student debt relief to veterinarians that agree to serve in areas that may impact animal or public health. The publication of final rules means that the program, first approved in 2003, can soon begin accepting applicants. NIFA expects to make applications available to interested veterinarians at the end of this month. Awards should be made by the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30, 2010. AVMA leaders, who have spent the better part of the last decade championing the program and funding for it, were ecstatic that debt relief will soon be made available for veterinarians working in underserved areas. |
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FDA seeks injunction against animal drug compounder The Food and Drug Administration is seeking an injunction in federal court against Franck’s Compounding Lab of Ocala, Fla., to prevent the company from introducing adulterated, misbranded, and unsafe animal drugs into interstate commerce. The FDA is concerned that the company’s continued compounding practices pose a significant public health risk, as evidenced by the deaths of 21 polo ponies April 19, 2009, before a match in the U.S. Open Polo Championships, after having been given a drug compounded by Franck’s. The complaint for the injunction was filed April 16 by the Department of Justice on behalf of FDA in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and would permanently bar the company, officially known as Franck’s Lab Inc., and its chief executive officer, Paul W. Franck, from compounding animal drugs from bulk ingredients without FDA approval. |
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Products to Watch |
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Abaxis, Inc. - Animal Health redesigns VetScan Rewards Program Web site, launches new VetScan brand Abaxis, Inc. - Animal Health Sales and Marketing announced the launch of their new VetScan Rewards website (www.vetscanrewards.com). VetScan Rewards is a complementary customer appreciation and rewards program offered from Abaxis for North American VetScan customers. Customers who sign up for this program earn points for all VetScan consumables purchased. Rewards points are then redeemable for a wide choice of gift cards or Abaxis promotional items. The new Web site design promotes ease of use and navigation for Abaxis customers. Visit www.vetscanrewards.com for more information. For additional information on VetScan products please call (800) 822.2947 or visit www.abaxis.com. Abaxis also announced the launch of new VetScan Products by Abaxis Branding. The new Better. Actually. brand is being used in all forms of media, advertisements, publications such as the VetCom Publication, direct mail, e-marketing, banner ads, product collateral and tradeshows. For a closer look at the VetScan Better. Actually. brand visit www.abaxis.com/actually. |
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