Rising pet ownership is creating a demand for quality animal healthcare. On the other hand, the need for food is also increasing incessantly, including meat products. Thus, the demand for meat production is on the rise. To ensure that the produced meat is healthy, there is a requirement for a systematic application of science in the food producing sector. A
Veterinary medicine company thus has an important role in order to innovate and make sure that the livestock produced are able to adapt to the changing environment due to global warming, is immune or treated properly to the numerous diseases that are prevalent among the animals. Some of the current trends in the industry are:
• E-Commerce
• In ovo vaccination
E-commerce in veterinary pharmaceuticals (Companion animals)
The increased usage of smartphones with availability of internet connection and the increasing chronic diseases among the animals have made the market for veterinary medicine to surge. Arthritis, chronic kidney disease, skin allergies are some of the most common diseases prevalent among the companion animals.
Arthritis in dogs can cause inflammation and swelling and is painful for the dog. Amid, the pandemic situation, people fearing the safety for them have resorted to using the online mode for medicational purposes. The
veterinary drug companies have also made their products available through their websites. Considering these, the global veterinary medicine market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4 per cent up to 2028. Another report states that the pet care e-commerce market size is expected to reach $54.95 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 11.3 per cent.
In ovo vaccination
In order to safeguard the poultry from various diseases such as marek’s disease, infectious bursal disease, fowl pox, newcastle disease and coccidiosis, the current trend is to inject them with in ovo vaccination at 18 days of embryo development. This is seen as a replacement for field vaccination or subcutaneous injection. This method significantly reduces labor costs and also is considered safe, consistent and an accurate method with better development of immune system at hatch. The in ovo vaccination is also used for vaccination against IBD and poxvirus among certain flocks.
A leading hatchery automation company has provided a new standard in safe and effective in ovo vaccination. Successful transfer of the in ovo technology from lab to commercial hatcheries was made possible with the development of automated multiple head injector systems (MIS). MIS has the capability to inject vaccine inoculum up to 60 thousand eggs per hour.
There are certain challenges that the veterinary pharmaceutical industry has to overcome. Some of the biggest challenges are:
• AMR (Anti-microbial resistance)
• Global warming (Environmental change)
AMR (Anti – microbial resistance)
The growing trend of microbial resistance towards the antibiotics has created a challenge as antibiotics are the cornerstone of modern medicine and public health. The reduction in the usage of antibiotics without dealing with the diseases would create unnecessary mortality among the animals as well as the risk of disease transferring from animals to humans.
Before the long term goals of Vaccinations are invented and preventative methods such as biosecurity, nutrition and diagnostics are established, the need for antibiotics prevails. In India, Kerala was the first state to work towards controlling AMR, partnering with WHO (World Health Organization). Kerala launched KARSAP (Kerala AMR Strategic Action Plan), a six step strategy for this issue. The six steps that are in this plan are:
1. Awareness and understanding
2. Knowledge and evidence
3. Infection prevention and control
4. Optimizing use of antibiotics
5. Research and innovations
6. Collaborations
Another method that is gaining importance among the researching community and being seen as a probable solution to the problem of AMR is Nanotechnology. Nanotech in the animal medicine industry is being used to increase diagnosis, treatment, animal growth promotion and production. Nanoparticles are used as a substitute for antimicrobial agents in order to reduce the usage of antibiotics. But they are also used as drug delivery agents to reduce drug resistance in animal organisms.
-
With the future of the Industry relying mainly on the research and development, the major focus is on the stem cell therapy for the animals.
Impacts of environmental change
With the deforestation and global warming being an important deciding factor in the animal food market, the major problems are that the animals are finding it hard to adapt to the increasing temperatures, insufficient water supply and nutrient deficiency. According to a report by Global Forest Watch there has been an increase in deforestation with India losing over 328 kha of humid primary forest from 2002 to 2019. The World Animal Health Organization (OIE) noted that climate change impacts animal infectious diseases and veterinary services which hinder sustainable development. The existing health problems will be magnified if the message and instructions of the current problems due to the climate changes are not spread among the people involved in the farming, animal rearing sectors.
With the future of the Industry relying mainly on the research and development, the major focus is on the stem cell therapy for the animals.
Need for Research & Development
Infectious diseases of livestock are a major threat to animal health and the food supply chain. Some livestock diseases are endemic in many parts and also there is a constant threat of arthropod borne diseases. Zoonotic infections that are transmissible from animals to humans are on the rise with an example being the influenza A (H1N1).
In the evolutionary progress, humans and dogs have created a unique bond to co-exist for survival and today we have a separate friendship between each other. But an unfortunate side effect is that there have been an increased number of chronic and degenerative conditions for the dogs. We have made progress in science to improve the lifespan and quality of life for dogs.
New stem cell therapy in dogs - a breakthrough in veterinary medicine
“We successfully established an efficient and easy generation method of canine iPSCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells," says Dr. Shingo Hatoya, an Associate Professor from Osaka Prefecture University.
Researchers are working on a model using stem cell technology in order to regenerate the damaged tissues to reverse the progress of many such diseases. This technology has been popularly beneficial among humans and it is still in its nascent stage for dogs. Researchers are working on isolating “induced pluripotent stem cells” (iPSCs) from canine blood samples. By introducing a set of genes into them, iPSCs can be modified from a developed cell. These gene codes are called “transcription factors,” which induce the change from a developed to a pluripotent stem cell that now has the ability to mature into various cell types. iPSCs can multiply very quickly that provides a reliable supply of suitable stem cells for regenerative therapies. "We successfully established an efficient and easy generation method of canine iPSCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells," explains Dr. Shingo Hatoya. He adds, “In the near future, it may be possible to perform regenerative medicinal treatments in dogs." Further research in this method is believed to also have some useful impacts for human medicine.
The Veterinary pharmaceutical industry is an industry that is to stay here for a long time in a healthy state with the growing affectionate bond between humans and animals and also for the need to produce food and animal products leading to research in this field.
