MSD Animal Health Symposium draws more than 400 veterinarians from Eastern Europe

More than 400 veterinarians from Eastern Europe learned about the latest innovations and products from MSD Animal Health at the company’s recent scientific symposium in Budapest, Hungary. For MSD Animal Health (formerly Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health), this marked the fifth time in as many years the company has hosted what organizers call a “three-in-one” symposium, which brings together veterinarians from the livestock, poultry and companion animal sectors.

“The combination of our science and technical expertise with leading practitioners and opinion leaders from different segments of the industry creates a fascinating and lively forum that is educational for everyone involved,” says István Gróf, general manager for MSD Animal Health in Hungary.

Following several general sessions involving all practitioners, attendees split into groups for more in-depth presentations on specific areas of animal health. MSD Animal Health also used the forum to showcase several new products and ideas, including:

• ZUPREVO® (tildipirosin) — A new-generation macrolide, this injectable antibiotic is available in special formulations for non-lactating cattle and swine. According to company scientists, ZUPREVO's fast onset and long duration of activity are due to tildipirosin’s unique molecular makeup as the only 16-membered, tribasic macrolide. This makes it structurally better — effectively, "a better key for the lock” — for managing target pathogens. Both products also offer a shorter withdrawal period than other injectable macrolides, as well as a high level of safety and excellent syringeability.
• PROTECTOTYPE™ — PROTECTOTYPE is not a product; it’s a field-proven concept or management strategy for using existing vaccines to protect poultry against ever-changing variants of infectious bronchitis (IB). Research and diagnostic work sponsored by MSD Animal Health has shown that some IB virus serotypes cross-protect against other IB serotypes. Strategically using live and inactivated IB vaccines from more than one serotype can provide a spectrum of control that is “larger than the sum of the vaccines’ parts,” scientists explained.
• ACTIVYL® (indoxacarb/permethrin) Tick Plus — A spot-on solution, the product was recently approved by the European Medicines Agency to treat flea infestations in dogs. It may also kill certain types of ticks if they are present when the medicine is applied. The product’s two active ingredients work together to interfere with the parasites’ nervous system, causing paralysis and death. Permethrin also acts as a mild repellent. Studies with ACTIVYL Tick Plus show flea and tick numbers fall to almost zero. According to MSD Animal Health, ACTIVYL Tick Plus can be used as part of a treatment strategy for flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), an itchy skin disease that can affect dogs.