Weekly News - 06/01/2010
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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 Suitors lining up to bid on Sanofi animal health according to Reuters Recommendations to protect pets from heatstroke Dog IQs rated Discovery Channel profiles veterinary toxicology Bill would exempt vets from Red Flags Rule Companion Animal Parasite Council’s Education Tour Wedgewood Pharmacy reaches settlement with DEA Florida horses diagnosed with pigeon fever Pfizer Animal Health acquires Microtek FDA and NIH launch electronic safety reporting portal Animal Health & Sciences plant bringing money, new jobs |
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Worth Watching Gas prices in summer to fluctuate |
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Top Stories |
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Suitors lining up to bid on Sanofi animal health according to Reuters Sanofi-Aventis has attracted initial interest from at least four suitors lining up to bid on its animal health operations, sources familiar with the situation said. Last year, Merck & Co’s $46 billion merger with Schering-Plough gave it the latter’s Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health business. That business is combining with Sanofi’s Merial operations in a joint venture with $5.3 billion in sales. As part of the joint venture’s formation, Sanofi and Merck must shed certain overlapping assets as they await regulatory approval for creating a group that would hold 29 percent of the global animal health market. Sanofi and Merck could sell assets with annual sales of up to $700 million, one source familiar with the situation said. Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Novartis AG, were among the bidders, sources told Reuters. It was unclear whether all the suitors will submit formal offers, but each has expressed “indicative interest” in the assets, which include vaccines and parasiticides, sources said. |
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Recommendations to protect pets from heatstroke Veterinarians in Florida are warning pet owners of the dangers the heat can have on animals, according to a recent report. Heatstroke occurs when the pet’s natural defense system cannot handle the heat building up inside his body. Usually, a dog handles heat through respiratory measures such as panting. When the dog cannot do so, his body will overheat. Pet owners need to be aware that although there are measures they can take to prevent heatstroke, it can occur at any time of the day to any breed of dog. Signs and symptoms of heat stroke include excessive panting, profuse salivation, glazed eyes, and anxiousness, collapsing and vomiting. Experts recommended pet owners keep pets inside on hot days, always have water available, keep pets well groomed and maintain a healthy weight. If pet owners see signs of heat stroke they should “try to cool down the animal by soaking your pet with towels and water and placing the pet in front of a fan, if possible. Then contact your veterinarian immediately. It is not recommended to use ice or ice cold water because this may lead to cooling the body too quickly.” |
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Dog IQs rated WebMD recently highlighted a bestselling book’s philosophy on dog IQ as measured by trainability. In his bestselling book, The Intelligence of Dogs, neuropsychologist Stanley Coren, PhD, focuses on trainability as a marker of intelligence. The University of British Columbia psychology professor relied on the assessments of 110 breeds by more than 200 professional dog obedience judges who scored breeds based on working/obedience tests. The top dogs absorbed commands in less than five repetitions and obeyed them 95% of the time or better. In order they were: Border Collie, Poodle, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Doberman Pinscher, Shetland Sheepdog, Labrador Retriever, Papillon, Rottweiler, and the Australian Cattle Dog. |
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Discovery Channel profiles veterinary toxicology The Discovery Channel highlighted the work of veterinary toxicologists during a national broadcast on May 28. The documentary examined the objectives of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicologists (ABVT) and its positive impact as an organization on veterinary medicine, toxicology, and human health in the 21st century. Both the full length and a one-minute version of the documentary can be viewed at www.abtv.org. |
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Bill would exempt vets from Red Flags Rule Legislation has been introduced in Washington that would exempt vet offices from the Red Flags Rule. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) have introduced legislation to exempt certain small businesses — including physician, dental and veterinary offices — from the Federal Trade Commission’s Red Flags Rule, scheduled to be effective on June 1. The rule requires businesses to take specific steps to minimize identity theft. Several medical associations recently filed a lawsuit to prevent the FTC from extending the rule to physicians, according to Health Data Management. The Senate bill, S. 3416, was referred to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which has not yet scheduled a hearing. A similar bill, H.R. 3763, passed the U.S. House last year on a 400-0 vote. Text of S. 3416 soon will be available at congress.gov. |
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Companion Animal Parasite Council’s Education Tour The Companion Animal Parasite Council’s Parasite Education Road Show Tour will focus on the southeastern United States, starting July 15 in Memphis, Tenn., and concluding July 31 in Atlanta, Ga., prior to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s conference. Last year’s tour of the western United States drew in almost 500 individuals. During the tour, CAPC will meet with veterinarians, technicians and human health professionals to present a continuing education program on vectors, vector-borne diseases and internal parasites. CAPC will also conduct interviews with local media and hold events to educate pet owners on the importance of parasite control in protecting their pets and their families from zoonotic diseases associated with parasites. The dates and cities for this year’s tour are: July 15-16, Memphis, Tenn.; July 16, Jackson, Miss.; July 17, Baton Rouge, La.; July 18, Mobile, Ala.; July 19, Tallahassee, Fla.; July 20, St. Petersburg, Fla.; July 21, Tampa, Fla.; July 22, Ft. Myers, Fla.; July 23, Naples, Fla.; July 24, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; July 25-26, Orlando, Fla.; July 27-28, Daytona Beach, Fla.; July 29, St. Augustine, Fla.; July 30, Jacksonville, Fla.; July 31, Atlanta, Ga. |
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Wedgewood Pharmacy reaches settlement with DEA Wedgewood Pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy based in New Jersey, announced this week that is has reached an agreement with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), allowing the company to resume dispensing controlled substances. The pharmacy had not been able to receive, store or dispense controlled substances since 2003, due to a disagreement over a DEA regulation. The agreement requires Wedgewood to make some changes in its procedures, so the company will not immediately begin dispensing controlled substances. |
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Florida horses diagnosed with pigeon fever Pigeon fever was recently diagnosed in several Florida horses, according to a report in TheHorse.com. Pigeon fever is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, which tends to live in the soil in hot, dry environments. Pigeon fever is not unusual in West Coast states like California, which reportedly had severe pigeon fever conditions during the 2009 fly season. In contrast, it is not typical to see any cases of pigeon fever on the East Coast. Nonetheless, Michelle M. LeBlanc, DVM, Dipl. ACT, a reproduction specialist at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., diagnosed pigeon fever in several horses in Florida this past spring. “Three Thoroughbred yearlings sharing a paddock on one farm,” LeBlanc said in TheHorse.com article. “One Thoroughbred mare with a foal at the side and two riding horse all developed chest abscesses consistent with pigeon fever.” She added, “C. pseudotuberculosis was cultured from each of these horses to confirm the diagnosis, and all the abscesses were lanced and allowed to drain. Only the two riding horses were treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic (SMZ), and all horses are now doing well.” |
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Pfizer Animal Health acquires Microtek Pfizer Animal Health announced its acquisition of Microtek International, Inc., a recognized innovator in aquaculture vaccines, R&D and healthcare diagnostic services. The acquisition further expands Pfizer’s commitment to a safe food supply from healthy beef and dairy cattle, swine, poultry and, now, fish, the company said. “The time is right for Pfizer Animal Health to enter the global market for aquaculture healthcare therapeutics,” said Juan Ramón Alaix, president, Pfizer Animal Health. “The integration of Microtek R&D into Pfizer Animal Health also will allow us to build a more diverse and innovative portfolio in biopharmaceuticals. The meat, dairy, egg and fish products that people enjoy for healthy living begin with a healthy food animal.” |
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FDA and NIH launch electronic safety reporting portal The Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health launched a new Web site that, when fully developed, will provide a mechanism for the reporting of pre- and post-market safety data to the federal government. The new site, called the Safety Reporting Portal (SRP), provides greater and easier access to online reporting. Currently the Web site can be used to report safety problems related to foods, including animal feed, and animal drugs, as well as adverse events occurring on human gene transfer trials. Consumers can also use the site to report problems with pet foods and pet treats. The new Web portal includes different features for different types of reporting: Industries will have a more user-friendly electronic portal for submitting reportable food reports that are required by law; Pet owners and veterinarians will be able to use the portal to report product problems with pet foods and pet treats; and Animal drug manufacturers can report adverse drug events associated with animal drugs. |
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Animal Health & Sciences plant bringing money, new jobs The Thomaston Times reported that the Georgia Department of Economic Development announced that Georgia-based Animal Health & Sciences is opening a manufacturing facility in Thomaston, Ga., in Upson County. This project represents the creation of 100 new jobs, and a $9.1 million investment. The company’s Thomaston facility will manufacture a new line of non-toxic, biodegradable chemicals to be used in the animal health industry. |
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Worth Watching |
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Gas prices in summer to fluctuate A Purdue University agricultural economics professor, Wallace E. Tyner, who tracks gasoline prices daily, says he expects price fluctuations throughout the summer – from a possible $3 a gallon, to much lower, Purdue University News published. Tyner had predicted earlier this year that gasoline prices would run between $2.60 and $3.20 per gallon this summer in Indiana. His prediction is unchanged. Key drivers of gasoline prices this summer, Tyner said, will be the value of the dollar, production levels by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, political stability - especially in the oil-producing regions - and U.S. crude oil gasoline inventories. The OPEC nations, which heavily influence world oil prices, have said they want the price of a barrel of oil to stay in the range of $60 to $80, which would keep gasoline prices to Tyner’s predictions if all other indicators remain stable. Just this week, however, the price rose from $68 to $75. Look for prices to rise next week if oil stays up, Tyner said. |
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