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| Vaccines are big business in the US. Earlier this year, Merial and Bioject launched the needle-free The Bioject Derma-Vac NF vaccine which protects against respiratory disease in pigs caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae of swine (MPS) |
The latest figures released by the US Animal Health Institute (AHI), the US animal health industry association, show that last year, the US industry spent the largest amount of its R&D budget on biologicals. This category, which includes vaccines, bacterins and antitoxins, also showed the strongest growth in sales.
Overall, R&D spending rose by 7% to $663m. Around 86% of research and development spending went towards innovative research, while 14% went towards ensuring the longevity of existing products.
"The strong investments in research and development have resulted in products that prolong the quality and length of life for our pets and contribute to a safe food supply by keeping farm animals healthy," said AHI president and chief executive Alexander S Mathews.
A total of 53% of all animal health products sold in 2006 were for companion animals, AHI reported.
Sales of pharmaceuticals rose by about 10%, with estimated sales of more than $4bn. This category contains insecticides, dosage-form medicines and other pharmaceutical preparations. Elsewhere, revenue from feed additives grew by 5.6% to $576m. The AHI says that new product launches and price stability contributed to the increase.
The production of antibiotics rose by about 8%. AHI says that the 2 billion pound increase in meat production might have contributed to this rise. The largest increase in production was for aminoglycosides (+22.5% to 328,000 pounds), followed by sulfonamides and penicillin (+14.8% to 1.2 million pounds). The largest group was composed of ionophores, arsenicals, bambermycin, carbadox, and tiamulin. It represented around 40% of total production. Ionophores and arsenicals are only developed for animal production. Other molecules in the group have limited or no use in human medicine.
"Americans recognize the important role of animal medicines, either to extend the quality of length of life for their pets or to keep farm animals healthy and contribute to a safer food supply," Mr Mathews said. "Animal health companies have responded by bringing new and innovative products to the market for both companion animals and farm animals."
The data includes combined sales for ruminant, swine, poultry, small animals and equine products.
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