Merial and Pfizer lead the pack at the inaugural Animal Pharm awards
Merial and Pfizer led the pack at Animal Pharm's Industry Excellence Awards, held in London's Docklands on October 12th.
At a black-tie ceremony hosted by "television vet" Trude Mostue, Pfizer scooped
the Animal Health Company of the Year award, beating off stiff competition from
Heska, which has been celebrating its move into profitability, and Prionics. The
award was sponsored by Norbrook.
Receiving the award, Andrew Weatherley, senior director veterinary medicine discovery
biology and site leader, Pfizer said: "I'm delighted to receive this award on
behalf of the nearly three-and-a-half thousand employees of Pfizer Animal health.
Our newly appointed president Juan-Ramon Alaix was unable to attend tonight, but
he was very clear in the event that we were fortunate to win an award we should
express his profound gratitude.
"The other point that I would like to make on behalf of our organization is our
cash commitment to R&D, Pfizer Animal Health commits about $270m every year
to R&D, we really believe that is the lifeblood and the future of our industry."
Ms Mostue, famous for her appearances in the British documentaries Vets' School
and vets in Practice, said: "To be here tonight means an awful lot to me, having
worked with different drugs and medication in veterinary practice.
"I believe an event like this is totally necessary and I can't believe that there
hasn't been one before," she added.
Merial won awards for the award for Best New Livestock Product for VAXXITEK HVT
+ IBD, a poultry vaccine that offers immunity against Marek's and Gumboro diseases,
and best new equine veterinary product for EQUIOXX/PREVICOX, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
aimed at equine osteoarthritis. The two awards were sponsored by IfTA and Doane
Market Research respectively.
Receiving the award for VAXXITEK, global project manager Caroline Pfeffer said:
"I want to thank all of the Merial teams that were involved in this ten year development."
Dr Peter Hanson, executive director for pharmaceutical R&D projects, said
on receiving the equine award: "The effort to simultaneously develop a totally
new active globally for horses and dogs in different formulations by essentially
the same teams is considerable.
"I wish to acknowledge the contribution of all who played a role in its development,
as well as those working on the launch activities."
Merial also walked away with the award for the Best Drug Delivery Advance, with
PureVax, a rabies vaccine that uses needle-free technology developed along with
Bioject. The category was sponsored by CF Grass Consulting.
Jonathan Hill, head of technical services and marketing at Merial, said on receiving
the award: "This was a true partnership between two companies, which as we all
know in the animal health industry is important."
The company beat off competition from Vétoquinol for its Clavaseptin palatable
tablets, and Novartis subsidiary Aqua Health for its DNA vaccine Apex-IHN for
salmon.
The lifetime achievement award, sponsored by iAdvantage Software and presented
by the chairman of IFAH-Europe's Committee of National Associations Philip Sketchley,
went to Dr Peter Holdsworth, inaugural chief executive of the new Australian industry
association, the Animal Health Alliance, and a leading force behind the World
Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology.
Dr Holdsworth received over ten times the number of votes recorded for any other
entry. Also on the shortlist was Norbrook founder Lord Ballyedmond, Bruce Vivash
Jones, from Vivash Jones Consulting, Professor Doctor Herbert Thomas from Bayer
Animal Health and Dr Hiram Lasher from Lasher Associates.
"I'd like to recognize my fellow nominees short listed for this award, I acknowledge
the nameless people who nominated me for this award."
Bayer won the best New Veterinary Product Companion Animals for its feline dewormer
Profender. The company beat off competition from Kibow Biotech, Merial, and the
UK's Guildhay to win the award, sponsored by Klifovet.
Receiving the award, Dr Hermann Josef Baaken, head of corporate communications,
said: "The companion animal business is a crazy business and we were one of the
first to enter this business 30 years ago. We are very proud to have this new
compound, thank you for the award."
Velcera Pharmaceuticals won the Licensing Deal of the Year award, for its licensing
deal with NovaDel Pharma over its transmucosal oral spray drug delivery technology.
The award was sponsored by Wood Mackenzie.
The company beat off competition from Imugene and Merial in their deal over the
Poultry Productivity Encancer, and Rockeby BioMed and Pacific Biotech for a licensing
deal over the Rockeby Avian Influenza Virus and Influenza A antigen test kit.
Best supporting role went to contract research firm Klifovet. The company beat
off competition from the likes of Moredun, Triveritas, and lawyers Hogan and Hartson.
The award was sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.
Klifovet managing director Dr Klaus Hellman said: "We are very pleased to receive
this award."
Hogan and Hartson were the sponsors of the award for Achievement or Contribution
by a Small Business, which went to UK company Genitrix Animal Health and Nutrition.
Genitrix succeeded against competition from Guildhay, Karizoo and the Bioactive
Division of Pancosma.
Genitrix' chief executive Howard Wilder said: "The thing about big businesses
is that every single one started as a small business. The ambition of a small
business is massive ... I want to thank everyone that has ever had anything to
do with Genitrix."
Centaur Services scooped the Best Manufacturing/Production Project award for
its application of 2D barcode technology, beating Alltech which entered its Sao
Pedro do Ivaí Yeast Production Facility, and Dow AgroSciences which entered its
Plant-Made Vaccine breakthrough. The category was sponsored by MVP Laboratories
and Animal Pharm editor Ben Deighton presented it on the company's behalf.
Indian Immunologicals' remarkable program to make cattle vaccination affordable
and accessible to rural Indian farmers, Operation Pratirodh, won the Corporate
Social Responsibility award, which was sponsored by Informa Life Sciences.
KV Balasubramaniam, managing director of the company, said: "You don't look at
profits [when operating the program], you look at being able to raise awareness
about livestock diseases."
Indian Immunologicals triumphed over strong competition from Pfizer Animal Health
for its Corporate Social Responsibility Program, Neomec Project Shiksha and Polivet
Journal, from Intas Pharmaceuticals.
