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| Health Care – Pharmaceuticals | | Health Care – Medical Technology | | Animal Health | | Consumer Health | | ||
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Highly successful new product launches and additional claims for existing products generated strong growth for Pfizer’s Animal Health Group (AHG) in 1997. Market conditions that had restrained growth in 1996, including a depressed U.S. cattle market and high feed prices, have improved. Pfizer’s animal health business is not only one of the largest in the world but is also noteworthy for the breadth of its product lines and its geographic coverage. Pfizer offers leading antiparasitics, anti-infectives, anti-inflammatory medicines, and vaccines for both food animals and companion animals in all regions of the world. Innovative marketing has become an AHG hallmark in its efforts to succeed in a highly competitive market. An independent survey of U.S. veterinarians in 1997, for example, named the Pfizer sales force the best in the industry.Sales of Dectomax, Pfizer’s leading Animal Health product, grew 58 percent in 1997 to $150 million. Dectomax is a scientifically differentiated, broad-spectrum parasiticide for the treatment and control of 36 stages of internal and external cattle parasites, including gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms, eyeworms, grubs, lice, and mange mites. The product’s long-acting efficacy is a key advantage, providing livestock producers with added convenience and reduced labor costs. In addition, Dectomax is well tolerated in injection-site tissue, an important consideration for maintaining meat quality. Already launched in an injectable form for cattle in all major markets, as well as for sheep and swine in some markets, Dectomax has now been introduced in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia as a pour-on formulation that is applied to cattle transdermally. A broad international rollout is planned for 1998. Customers have overwhelmingly accepted the pour-on formulation in each market in which it has been introduced, with sales in 1997 running well ahead of the highly successful injectable form launched in the United States the preceding year. Development of additional formulations for use in sheep is advancing.Stafac also achieved strong growth in 1997. Stafac is a leading antibiotic for food animals, a market category with annual sales of more than $500 million. This product competes effectively by providing excellent feed efficiency and weight gain, mainly in chickens and swine.Aviax, discovered and developed by Pfizer, is the first new ionophore anticoccidial in a decade. Marketed worldwide, Aviax offers an excellent efficacy and safety profile, both as a primary treatment and in rotation with other agents. Coxistac, which Pfizer sells in Canada, Australia, Latin America, and Asia, remains the leading treatment for coccidiosis, a parasitic infection in chickens.
Vaccines represent an important and growing segment of AHG’s broad product portfolio. RespiSure (marketed as Stellamune in Europe) for vaccination of swine against respiratory disease, enjoyed remarkable success in 1997. It is now the leading contributor globally to AHG vaccine sales. Pfizer is also the leading supplier of vaccines for cattle, including BoviShield, CattleMaster, Rispoval, and One-Shot/Rispoval Pasteurella. A leader in the companion animal vaccine market is Pfizer’s Vanguard line for prevention of important canine viral diseases.The highly successful 1997 launch of Rimadyl in the United States expands AHG’s broad product line for companion animals and positions AHG as a leader in pain management and canine geriatric care. Rimadyl was quickly accepted by veterinarians and dog owners as the leading treatment for canine osteoarthritis, a progressive, degenerative affliction characterized by pain, joint swelling, and restricted activity. Osteoarthritis is found in approximately 20 percent of the canine population, or about 8 million dogs, in the United States. In the United States, more than a million dogs have already been treated with Rimadyl. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Rimadyl inhibits the production of prostaglandins and thereby provides relief as both an anti-inflammatory and an analgesic. Rimadyl provides excellent relief of both acute and chronic pain and allows for repeated long-term treatment without many of the adverse side effects associated with other anti-inflammatory agents. Rimadyl is now the sixth-largest-selling companion animal product in the United States, where it was the first Pfizer prescription animal health product featured in direct-to-consumer television advertising.In a move to expand our products for the care of older dogs, Pfizer announced an agreement in November 1997, with Draxis Health, Inc., for worldwide marketing rights to Anipryl, the only approved medication for treating canine Cushing’s disease. A disorder manifested by excess endocrine secretions, Cushing’s disease causes hair loss, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. Almost half a million U.S. dogs are believed to suffer from Cushing’s disease, with an estimated 150,000 new cases developing each year. The product has also been approved in Canada and filed in the United States for treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome.Just as the success of Pfizer’s human pharmaceutical business has been achieved through strong, focused investment in innovative medicines that meet previously unmet medical needs, AHG is following a similar research-based, customer-driven approach as it strives to be the driving force in the worldwide animal health industry. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rimadyl | ||
“Like millions of pet owners, Nancy Braendlein considered her dog, Simon, part of the family. Over the years, Simon had seen Nancy’s five children grow up, provided comfort when she lost her husband, and was always there to welcome her home after long workdays. |
When Nancy noticed that Simon could no longer even rise to greet her, she took him to her veterinarian, expecting the worst. Simon was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and treated with Rimadyl, Pfizer’s anti-inflammatory for osteoarthritis in dogs. The very next day, Simon seemed his old self again, waking Nancy at 6:00 A.M. with a bark. Simon’s story is just one example of the benefits Rimadyl brings to dogs and their owners. Caring for older dogs is a companion animal priority for Pfizer, and now, with the recent acquisition of Anipryl for older dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease, we are helping an even greater number of dogs lead more active, more comfortable lives.” Shellie Shook Territory Manager, Companion Animal Division, North America Animal Health Group |
Anipryl and Rimadyl are the two most recent companion animal prescription products introduced for dogs by the Pfizer Animal Health Group. Anipryl treats Cushing’s disease, an endocrine disorder, and Rimadyl relieves symptoms associated with osteoarthritis. |
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