Notebook: October 2020
News briefs from across the industry and beyond. This month’s articles include hookworm statistics, a new female dean at WSU, FIP viral report, FDA compounding document deadline approaches, and the global veterinary report on the impact of COVID.
Global Animal Hospital
Report on COVID Impact
A new report details the global veterinary market and the impact of the COVID virus. According to the Business Research Company’s report, the global animal hospital and veterinary clinic market reached a value of nearly $91.3 billion in 2019, having increased at a rate of 4.1% since 2015. The market is expected to decline from $91.3 billion in 2019 to $70.7 billion in 2020 at a rate of –22.6%. The decline is mainly due to lockdown and social distancing norms imposed by various countries and economic slowdown across countries owing to the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures to contain it. The market is then expected to recover and grow at a rate of 5.1% from 2021 and reach $111.2 billion in 2023.
The report says that growth in the historic period resulted from emerging market growth, increased pet ownership by Gen X and Gen Y adults, increased pet spending, increased disease prevalence, and stringent livestock regulations. Factors that negatively affected growth in the historic period were shortages of veterinarians and lack of awareness. Going forward, increasing penetration of pet insurance and social media for awareness will drive the growth of the market.
New Report Tracks Positive Increase in Hookworm Across US
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) issues a CAPC Top 10 Cities Monthly Hookworm Report, which identifies US metro areas experiencing the highest percentage increase in positive hookworm tests in a 30-day period.
“The recent outbreak of COVID-19, with its animal origin, has made people acutely aware of the close relationship between animal and human health—and the need to regularly monitor disease at the local level,” said CAPC CEO Chris Carpenter, DVM.
A recent study shows a 47% increase in the number of canine hookworm cases in the US from 2012 to 2018, with CAPC maps reporting 212,863 positive cases of canine hookworm infections nationwide in 2018.
In national data collected in June 2020, these 10 US cities had the highest percentage increase in positive hookworm tests:
- Rockford, Illinois
- Brownsville, Texas
- Reno, Nevada
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Bakersfield, California
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Spokane, Washington
- Salinas, California
- Cape Coral, Florida
- Billings, Montana
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”
—Oprah Winfrey
WSU Veterinary College Hires First Female Dean
Dori Borjesson, DVM, the new dean at Washington State University’s (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, is the first woman to lead the college in its more than 120-year history. In a profession where women make up more than 70% of veterinary students, Borjesson’s appointment makes her 1 of 11 female veterinary deans at the 32 veterinary colleges in the United States.
Borjesson remarked on the milestone, saying, “I didn’t anticipate it, but this means a lot to a lot of people. It speaks to the fact that if you don’t see anyone like you or see anyone who has traveled paths similar to yours in leadership positions, it’s hard to believe you can accomplish those goals. Women in veterinary medicine are now starting to have true role models whom they can relate to and watch build programs,” she said. “That’s important for women as well as everyone to see.”
Borjesson comes to WSU from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, where she was chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. She is a board-certified veterinary clinical pathologist and was the director of the UC Davis Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures. She received her DVM from UC Davis in 1995.
Dori Borjesson, dean of Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine
Last Chance to Comment on FDA Animal Drug Compounding Guidance
In November 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a draft of the agency’s draft document No. 256—Compounding Animal Drugs from Bulk Drug Substances.
The guidance document addresses compounding from bulk drug substances, the agency’s term for active pharmaceutical ingredients. The agency published the draft document in November 2019 and has granted two 120-day extensions of the comment deadline. The comment period closes October 15, after which time the agency will begin final work on the document.
Under federal law, a veterinarian or pharmacist can compound drugs from approved products. Compounding from bulk substances is seen as making a new and unapproved product that needs FDA review. The FDA’s guidance describes which compounded drugs would be considered illegal but allowed because of the benefits to patients.
Examples include drugs compounded for patients with allergies, antidotes, and emergency-use office stock. At press time, the document had drawn more than 1,500 comments. The agency is accepting comments until October 15 at regulations.gov under docket number FDA-2018-D-453.
Photo credits: ©bgblue/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images, photo courtesy of the CDC, photo courtesy of Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, GaryVW/iStock via Getty Images Plus