LEADING Australian animal pain relief product Tri-Solfen is expected to be launched in New Zealand by German pharmaceutical and chemical company Bayer early next year.

Human and animal pain mitigation company Medical Ethics said its wholly-owned subsidiary Animal Ethics Pty Ltd has signed a long-term, exclusive marketing and distribution agreement with Bayer New Zealand for the product’s use in New Zealand use on animals undergoing painful husbandry procedures.

Tri-Solfen® is designed to adhere to wounds to provide rapid onset numbing with prolonged analgesia effects. The innovative spray and stay topical local anaesthetic and antiseptic gel also contains active ingredients designed to minimise bleeding, protect against infection, coat the wound and promote healing.

Medical Ethics recently gained registration of Tri-Solfen® in New Zealand through the Ministry for Primary Industries. Tri-Solfen® is initially indicated for use on lambs and calves undergoing husbandry procedures. Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer has the right to market the existing and future indications for all animal species, excluding humans. Medical Ethics will be responsible for applying for additional registrations.

Bayer New Zealand managing director Derek Bartlett said Tri-Solfen is initially indicated for use on lambs and calves, but the company is working with Animal Ethics on approvals for further indications and claims.

“We are currently working towards launching to the New Zealand market in early 2019,” he said.

Medical Ethics managing director Allan Giffard said Bayer’s commitment to improving animal welfare make them the ideal partner in New Zealand.

“Having already demonstrated the success of our relationship in Australia, we are confident we can continue to help minimise suffering associated with wounds in livestock.”

Over one billion livestock globally undergo highly invasive painful husbandry procedures annually. Tri-Solfen is already registered in Australia for sheep and cattle husbandry procedures, where it has been marketed and distributed by Bayer since its launch in 2005.

Tri-Solfen has been used to successfully treat over 80 million animals undergoing routine surgeries in the Australian livestock industries. The global market potential for Tri-Solfen® is estimated to be in excess of A$350 million per year for the treatment of routine on farm procedures in calves, lambs and piglets.

Animal Ethics accelerated the expansion of its global registration programmes in 2017 through a commercial partnership with Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC (Dechra), a FTSE 250 international veterinary pharmaceutical business. As part of the partnership, Dechra became a cornerstone investor in Medical Ethics and, in a separate agreement with Animal Ethics, secured the global licensing rights (excluding Australia and New Zealand) for the group’s proprietary platform technology in animals. Dechra will support the Group’s strategy to register Tri-Solfen in major international markets.  The group submitted a regulatory dossier to the European Medicines Agency in June 2018 to register Tri-Solfen in Europe for painful husbandry procedures in piglets and dairy calves.

Source: Animal Ethics.

Rural Bank takes over Profarmer and ACF

RURAL Bank has acquired Australian agri-data and information services companies Profarmer Australia and Australian Crop Forecasters from NZX Limited.

Profarmer is a team of specialist agriculture commodity analysts, providing strategy, analysis, data and a suite of online tools. ACF is a provider of independent grain analysis.

Rural Bank chief executive officer, Alexandra Gartmann, said the businesses were important strategic acquisitions that would build on the specialist skills, insight and capability the business already boasted.

“Profarmer and ACF are market leaders on grain markets and crop forecasting, and will complement Rural Bank’s expertise on topics such as Australian farmland values.

“The acquisitions expand the Bank’s research and intelligence expertise, and further enhance its position as a knowledge leader for farming customers and Australian agribusiness,” Ms Gartmann said.

“We will now take the time to work with Profarmer and ACF, to ensure current subscribers continue to receive the high standard of information and service they have come to expect.

“We will then explore further how these leading businesses can best complement Rural Bank’s overall offering to the market.”

The transaction announced today is expected to be completed by the end of August. Rural Bank has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited since 2010. It is the only Australian-owned and operated dedicated agribusiness bank in the country.

Ag Answers is a specialist insights division of Rural Bank. It provides research and analysis into commodities, farmland values, farm business performance and topical agricultural issues to enable farmers to make informed decisions.

Source: Rural Bank

Elders joins with AgriFutures Australia’s evokeAG

AGRIBUSINESS Elders has announced its $130,000 platinum sponsorship partnership with evokeAG, AgriFutures Australia’s international agrifood tech event to be held in Melbourne in February 2019.

An AgriFutures statement said the partnership was an ideal fit after the recent launch of Elder’s specialist agricultural consulting business, Thomas Elders Consulting, and its research and development division, Thomas Elder Institute.

Elders managing director Mark Allison said the company was in an exciting growth period as a business, so it’s important for it to support initiatives that will nurture the industry and help to move Australian agriculture into the future.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting this cutting-edge event that will bring the world and Australia’s brightest agriculture and technology minds together.”

AgriFutures Australia is heralding evokeAG as the first event of its kind in Australia to provide a common platform for the food and agriculture sector to exchange information and share best practices on how technology can and will shape the future. It is being pitched to entrepreneurs, farmers, investors, producers, startups, and workers in agribusiness, finance, and IT as a global meeting place to showcase and demonstrate leading-edge agrifood technologies, case studies, and innovations nationally and overseas.

AgriFutures Australia managing director, John Harvey, praised Elders’ involvement and said the partnership signified the importance of collaboration to generate and disseminate new ideas across the country.

“evokeAG is a rare opportunity for the agrifood tech sector to have the conversations required to mature the innovation ecosystem and take the industry to new heights.

“We need to consider what it is that we can do in Australia that no one else can, how best to grow the sector and expedite technology outcomes,” Mr Harvey said.

evokeAG 2019 will be held at the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne on February 19 and 20.

Source: AgriFutures Australia.

• AgBiz and Product News is an occasional compilation of contributed rural product and business news items collated by Sheep Central. Send your business news and product development items for consideration to [email protected]