News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
David Butler
Tel: 01694 731777
david@abccomms.co.uk
Study Highlights Potential to Reduce Long Term
Antibiotic Usage for Sheep Lameness
MILTON KEYNES, UK, July 23, 2014 – Sheep farmers could reduce antibiotic treatments for
lameness by as much as 92% within two years of implementing the practical FAI Farms FivePoint Plan to control the disease within a flock.
A Veterinary Record report describes how Oxfordshire-based FAI Farms managed to cut
substantially the number of lameness treatments administered to their flock of 1,200 ewes over
a four-year period1.
“Before we implemented the Five-Point Plan our mean number of monthly antibiotic
treatments was 3.8 per 100 ewes. During the first year this was reduced to 1.4 treatments per
100 ewes per month, and during years 2-4 was sustained at less than 0.3 treatments per 100
ewes per month,” says Ruth Clements MRCVS from FAI Farms.
FAI Farms managed to reduce flock lameness from an average annual prevalence of
7.4% to only 2.6% within a year of implementing the plan. Lameness levels were then
maintained at less than 1% for the next three years.
Followed thoroughly and consistently year-on-year, the Five-Point Plan builds a flock’s
resilience to the diseases that cause lameness, reduces the infection challenge on the farm and
establishes sheep immunity.
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2
The five points comprise: prompt and appropriate treatment of any lame sheep;
vaccination bi-annually with FOOTVAXTM to reduce footrot lesions and build immunity; culling
badly or repeatedly infected sheep; quarantining incoming animals; and avoiding spreading
infection when sheep are gathered and handled.
“According to EBLEX, the estimated losses from footrot alone equate to around £6 a
year for every ewe in Great Britain, but these are costs the industry does not have to bear. Our
experience shows that you really can get on top of lameness problems and reap the flock
performance and animal welfare benefits of an extremely low disease incidence level,” says Ms
Clements.
- ends References:
1. R.H.Clements, S.C.Stoye. The Five Point Plan: a successful tool for reducing lameness in
sheep. Veterinary Record (2014).
About MSD Animal Health
Today's MSD is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. MSD
Animal Health, known as Merck Animal Health in the United States and Canada, is the global
animal health business unit of MSD. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier
Animals™, MSD Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one
of the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions
and services. MSD Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, wellbeing and performance of animals. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D
resources and a modern, global supply chain. MSD Animal Health is present in more than 50
countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit
www.msd-animal-health.com
Use medicines responsibly. For more information visit: www.noah.co.uk/responsible
FOOTVAX™ is only available from animal health product prescribers or veterinary surgeons from whom advice
should be sought. FOOTVAX™ contains ten strains of inactivated Dichelobacter nodosus with an oil adjuvant. Legal
category: POM-VPS. FOOTVAX™ is the property of Intervet International B.V. or affiliated companies or licensors
and is protected by copyrights, trademark and other intellectual property laws. Copyright © 2014 Intervet International
B.V. All rights reserved.
Further information is available from: MSD Animal Health, Walton Manor, Walton, Milton Keynes MK7 7AJ.
-animal-health.co.uk
3
MSD forward-Looking Statement
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe
harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of MSD’s management and are
subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks
or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and
competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate
fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the
United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment;
technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent
in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; MSD’s ability to accurately
predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of
international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of MSD’s patents
and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent
litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
MSD undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found
in MSD’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
###
Use medicines responsibly. For more information visit: www.noah.co.uk/responsible
FOOTVAX™ is only available from animal health product prescribers or veterinary surgeons from whom advice
should be sought. FOOTVAX™ contains ten strains of inactivated Dichelobacter nodosus with an oil adjuvant. Legal
category: POM-VPS. FOOTVAX™ is the property of Intervet International B.V. or affiliated companies or licensors
and is protected by copyrights, trademark and other intellectual property laws. Copyright © 2014 Intervet International
B.V. All rights reserved.
Further information is available from: MSD Animal Health, Walton Manor, Walton, Milton Keynes MK7 7AJ.
-animal-health.co.uk