A room used to perform annual inspections of pharmaceutical products for visual signs of deterioration was so dark that federal investigators had to use flashlights to inspect the drugs. Samples of Thiamine Hydrochloride, Lidocaine Hydrochloride, and Phenylbutazone were found by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors to contain particles, because the drug company employees originally charged with the inspections had no training. Missouri-based veterinary drug company Teva Animal Health Inc., has been shut down by the federal government due to these and other alleged “significant” violations of current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), according to legal documents obtained by NEWStat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in an announcement that it has filed a consent decree of permanent injunction against Teva Animal Health Inc. The injunction prevents Teva Animal Health, its president, and two principals from its parent company from manufacturing and distributing adulterated veterinary drugs, the FDA said. According to the agency, three separate FDA inspections between 2007 and 2009 “found significant cGMP violations at Teva Animal Healths facilities, located in St. Joseph, Mo.” The violations are detailed in the lawsuit and an observation report, copies of which were obtained by NEWStat.

A planned drug company buyout will open the door for the creation of a massive animal-pharmaceuticals joint venture in the near future. French drug-maker sanofi-aventis agreed last week to purchase 50 percent of Merial Limited for $4 billion in cash from Merck and Co., Inc. The deal would make sanofi-aventis the sole owner of Merial, which until now has been a 50-50 joint venture between Merck and sanofi-aventis. Merial’s best-known products include flea and tick control product Frontline and dog heartworm preventative Heartgard. According to one analyst, veterinarians will most likely not see much change in terms of products or service, though the high price of the deal could potentially affect spending on research and development.

The American Veterinary Medical Association held its 146th annual convention in Seattle from July 11-14. The following are a few briefs on some of the topics covered at the conference. Connecting with clients “’Have a nice day’ is over,” says Karyn Gavzer, MBA, CVPM. “The standard has floated up.” Veterinarians and staff should strive for a high level of customer service, and doing so requires tapping into and empathizing with the emotional needs of your clients, Gavzer said. A genuine, personal relationship with your clients is one of the best ways to connect with them and keep them coming back. That includes building trust and rapport with clients by giving them personalized recommendations and being authentic with them. “If you fail in being empathetic, you will never reach your full potential,” she said.

Everyone has heard of Ace Ventura. But real pet detectives do exist, although there are only a handful operating in the United States. Well-trained pet detectives and their four-legged partners can literally sniff out a lost pet, sometimes in a matter of hours. At the annual conference of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) in Seattle last week, two pet detectives gave a series of presentations on what they do and how they do it. Annalisa Berns and Landa Coldiron are certified Missing Animal Response (MAR) Technicians. The two women own their own companies, Pet Search and Rescue and Lost Pet Detection respectively. Berns and Coldiron use a variety of methods to track and search for lost pets, but their most important tools are their dogs.

Navigation and spatial cognition in mammals is thought to be related to the hippocampus, which helps animals form a spatial map. But reptiles lack this seahorse-shaped brain structure, so how do they navigate? A tortoise will actually use different methods of navigation depending on the presence or absence of visual cues in its environment, according to a new study. The study, “Visual and response-based navigation in the tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria),” was designed to investigate whether the reptilian medial cortex plays a similar role to the mammalian hippocampus in navigation and spatial cognition. For the study, a red-footed tortoise was placed in an eight-armed radial maze, with food at the end of each arm. In the first part of the experiment, a black curtain was placed around the maze to obstruct the tortoise’s view of the room. Four large geometrical shapes of different colors were placed on the curtain to act as visual cues. Lead researcher Anna Wilkinson of the Department of Neurobiology and Cognition, University of Vienna, said the tortoise, Moses, appeared not to use these cues, and instead adopted an interesting navigational method, called the “turn-by-one-arm strategy.”

The field of veterinary oncology has advanced greatly in the last several years, and there have been some exciting developments in this area. NEWStat asked some of the top veterinary oncologists around the country what they thought were the most interesting and noteworthy recent developments in animal cancer research, as well as some of the studies they are involved with.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two new drugs this week that are the first of their kind for treating specific conditions in animals. On June 3, the FDA approved the first cancer drug therapy for dogs, and on June 9, the agency gave the green light to a hyperthyroidism drug for cats. The feline hyperthyroidism drug, Felimazole (methimazole), is manufactured by U.K.-based drug maker Dechra, and is the first drug approved by the FDA for treating this condition in cats. Methimazole is an antithyroid drug that blocks the creation of thyroid hormones. According to an FDA news release, Felimazole was tested in field studies in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is administered orally in initial doses of 2.5 mg per animal every 12 hours.

Alabama is the last state in the union with a state law requiring annual rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats, but that is most likely about to change. The existing law requires owners of dogs and cats to vaccinate their pets against rabies “when said animal reaches three months of age and annually thereafter.” Under the proposed rule, known as SB 469, revaccinations would be required “when the animal reaches three months of age and subsequently in accordance with the intervals specified in the vaccines license.” The new rule would also require ferrets to be vaccinated for rabies. Gov. Bob Riley is expected to sign SB 469 into law, since the measure was approved by the Alabama Legislature, 101-0, on May 14.

As part of its increased scrutiny of spot-on flea and tick products, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency met with product manufacturers on May 5, an agency spokesman said, though no action has been taken yet. The agency also confirmed that an original list of products under scrutiny was updated to make the list include all registered products. “We received a request from the industry to remove the original list of products because it was incomplete and therefore misleading,” said EPA Press Officer Dale Kemery. “Once we were able to develop a complete list of products we returned the list to the Web site.”

Legislation geared toward improving the lives of companion animals is moving through the legislative process in several states. Washington and Ohio are advancing bills that would help protect pets in domestic violence cases by granting custody of pets to victims, or including pets in different types of protection orders. In Vermont, a bill is awaiting the governor’s signature that would add an aversive agent to a common product that is deadly to animals.