Together for Better Performance

Following the purchase of Intervet’s parent company, Organon
BioSciences, by Schering-Plough in November 2007, Intervet and
Schering-Plough Animal Health merged to create a global animal health
company.

New Company Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health supports poultry producers with broad range of products, technical expertise and robust research and development pipeline

The Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health Poultry Team are: from left to right: Paul Young, Rodney Thompson, Joseph Nahas, Stephen Halley, Jean Béliveau, Randy Carrière and Ken Friesen. Advertisement

Following the purchase of Intervet’s parent company, Organon BioSciences, by Schering-Plough in November 2007, Intervet and Schering-Plough Animal Health merged to create a global animal health company. The new company, once fully integrated, will draw on global resources to support Canadian animal health, and the poultry industry specifically, with a comprehensive product portfolio, experienced sales and technical support staff, and an extensive research pipeline.

“We’re really excited by this merger because we’re now in a position to offer Canadian poultry producers a business partnership like never before. Producers can draw on our world-leading expertise and poultry product lines to manage their poultry health issues more effectively,” says Rod Thompson, business unit director, Poultry and Swine, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health for the Canadian market. “A big boost to our research and development capabilities also means we will be active in addressing emerging poultry health issues.”

LEADERS IN DISEASE MANAGEMENT
With its expanded product line, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health can help Canadian poultry producers protect their business from every major poultry health threat whether they raise breeders, layers, broilers or turkeys.

“The breadth of our product line, plus the expertise of our research and frontline staff, allows Canadian poultry producers to form a strong partnership with us”, says Dr. Linnea J. Newman, Poultry Veterinarian, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.  “We bring a wide variety of vaccines to the market to improve the health of poultry flocks in a cost-effective way.  We are also in the forefront of biological management of poultry intestinal health, helping the industry to meet the demands of their retail customers by reducing the use of in-feed medication.”

The combined portfolio of Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health includes a wide range of vaccines and pharmaceuticals including: COCCIVAC® live coccidiosis vaccines, UNIVAX® live infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccines, INNOVAX®-ILT live vaccine as an aid in the prevention of Marek’s disease and infectious laryngotracheitis, BREEDERVAC-IV-PLUS® and BRON-NEWCAVAC-M® vaccines against Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis, NUFLOR® Solution against air sacculitis and PARACILLIN® SP for the treatment of infections caused by bacteria susceptible to amoxicillin.

Dr. Linnea J. Newman, Intervet/Schering-Plough’s poultry veterinarian.

WORKING WITH CANADIAN PRODUCERS
Perhaps the most important offering of the newly formed company is the collective experience and passion of its people. Whether their role is in manufacturing, sales, marketing or R&D, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health’s people are dedicated to improving animal health, including working with poultry customers to help determine an optimal health plan for their flocks.

“We now cover a broader range of the poultry industry than ever before. Whether they’re raising breeders, layers, broilers or turkeys, Canadian producers can now draw on the shared experience of our people for a solution to their animal health concerns,” says Paul Young, marketing manager, Poultry and Swine, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health for the Canadian market.

In addition to Rod Thompson, Dr. Linnea J. Newman and Paul Young, the Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health Poultry Technical Support Team includes dedicated representatives throughout Canada: Randy Carrière in British Columbia and Alberta, Ken Friesen in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Stephen Halley in Ontario and eastern provinces, and Jean Béliveau and Joseph Nahas in Quebec and New Brunswick.

GLOBAL INNOVATION
One of the most notable outcomes of the merger is the enhanced research and development capabilities of the new company. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health operates in more than 100 countries and works collaboratively with animal health agencies to promote animal health and to respond to market needs.

The new company’s increased resources also allow it to develop new treatments for emerging disease issues, often as the first “out of the gate” or the first in Canada.

This capability was evident recently as circovirus surfaced as a threat to the swine industry in Canada. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health fast-tracked the development of a vaccine to reduce mortality and morbidity and promptly brought CIRCUMVENT®, (the first circovirus
vaccine for use in swine) to Canadian producers.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health’s research and development capabilities have been used to address emerging poultry health issues as well. Over the past five years, Delaware-type variants of Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) have affected Canadian flocks. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has the only Group 2 Delaware Variant IBD vaccine as well as a unique 2-antigen classic IBD vaccine that demonstrates strong protection against the Delaware variants (Univax-Plus). This commitment to research and development has made Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health the leaders, not only in the fight against IBD, but also in biological control of poultry intestinal health, developing new products and new management ideas to help control both coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis.

ONGOING SUPPORT
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has a strong legacy that goes back nearly 100 years and it will carry that heritage forward to serve the Canadian poultry industry. Its continued commitment to offer the best products, hire the best people and continuously develop new therapies for emerging needs empowers the Canadian poultry producers to improve their business on many levels.

Alan Jakovac is an independent communications consultant.  He can be contacted at: ajakovac@cogeco.ca