Joshua and Kelsey...not sure where they were at...
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Festival
15 years ago
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Back from Disney
Had a great time at Disney and will eventually get around to posting pictures. Too much going on with school starting on Monday, work changes (Randy promoted and at a new store, rumors about my work change daily), and trying to get the house organized.
Joshua and Kelsey...not sure where they were at...
+319.JPG)
Joshua and Kelsey...not sure where they were at...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Merial News
It looks like we are going to be sold. Not sure to whom or what changes that will bring. Good news is everyone seems to want us...bad news is just the normal stuff that comes with a new owner or merger.
Animal health offers growth for big pharma
Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:28pm EDT
By Jessica Hall
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - After years of being dismissed as a secondary business, animal healthcare has become a coveted niche for pharmaceutical companies looking for new growth markets.
Thanks to two mega-mergers -- Merck & Co's (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) planned purchase of Schering Plough Corp (SGP.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and the pending merger of Pfizer Inc (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Wyeth (WYE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) -- several animal health assets are currently up for sale. The merging companies must divest the assets to gain U.S. regulatory approval for their deals.
"Ten years ago, pharma companies looked down their noses at animal health. But as growth in human health has slowed, animal health has remained stable and is actually growing," said one healthcare investment banker.
"All of a sudden it looks like a crown jewel and not an after-thought," said the banker, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Even though the economic crisis has forced some animal owners to give up their pets or delay veterinary visits, the sector is still growing revenues in the low-teens range, the banker said.
The animal health sector, which also includes medication for livestock, remains attractive compared with the stagnant or shrinking sectors of the human health field, he said.
As large pharmaceutical companies have been hurt by the prevalence of generic drugs and few new drugs in their research pipeline, they have been looking for acquisitions in biotechnology and animal health.
"Animal health looks like a darling compared with human health. Patients don't complain. There's been a secular change as people spend more and more on their pets," said the investment banker.
A second round of bids for the animal health businesses being divested by Merck and Schering Plough are due this week with a final decision expected by the end of July, sources familiar with the situation previously told Reuters.
Merck is a partner in the Merial joint venture with French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA. Merial's products include flea and tick treatments for dogs and a medication used to kill parasites in livestock.
Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Bayer AG (BAYG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Novartis AG (NOVN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Boehringer Ingelheim of Germany submitted offers in the first round of bidding, sources previously told Reuters.
Private equity firms are also interested in the animal health businesses, sources familiar with the situation said.
The sector has predictable cash flow that makes it attractive to buyout firms. But the corporate buyers all have deep pockets and a keen interest to find new growth products.
"All roads point to Sanofi winning, but it's a matter of price," said one person close to the Merck talks, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Schering's largest animal health business, Intervet, generated $1.9 billion in revenue last year. One complication of the Merck-Schering auction is the structure of the sale, the source close to the Merck talks said.
During the first round, bidders were able to submit offers for various assets since the sellers had not yet decided which businesses would be sold, that source said.
The decision would be made on whether to divest Merck or Schering's animal health assets once the companies reviewed the bids, that source said.
Pfizer and Wyeth also are divesting animal health assets due to their pending $68 billion merger and that auction is expected to conclude by the end of the month, as well, said two sources close to those negotiations.
"For the bidders, buying an animal health business to add to their existing business makes a lot of sense -- you can take out tons of costs because the same sales people can now sell more products," said a second healthcare investment banker.
"It's a reasonably good growth area -- there's the average flea and tick prevention, but there's now more and more vaccines vets are adding to the list of what you can give your pet. People are just spending more," the second investment banker said. (Additional reporting by Megan Davies in New York, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
Animal health offers growth for big pharma
Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:28pm EDT
By Jessica Hall
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - After years of being dismissed as a secondary business, animal healthcare has become a coveted niche for pharmaceutical companies looking for new growth markets.
Thanks to two mega-mergers -- Merck & Co's (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) planned purchase of Schering Plough Corp (SGP.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and the pending merger of Pfizer Inc (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Wyeth (WYE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) -- several animal health assets are currently up for sale. The merging companies must divest the assets to gain U.S. regulatory approval for their deals.
"Ten years ago, pharma companies looked down their noses at animal health. But as growth in human health has slowed, animal health has remained stable and is actually growing," said one healthcare investment banker.
"All of a sudden it looks like a crown jewel and not an after-thought," said the banker, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Even though the economic crisis has forced some animal owners to give up their pets or delay veterinary visits, the sector is still growing revenues in the low-teens range, the banker said.
The animal health sector, which also includes medication for livestock, remains attractive compared with the stagnant or shrinking sectors of the human health field, he said.
As large pharmaceutical companies have been hurt by the prevalence of generic drugs and few new drugs in their research pipeline, they have been looking for acquisitions in biotechnology and animal health.
"Animal health looks like a darling compared with human health. Patients don't complain. There's been a secular change as people spend more and more on their pets," said the investment banker.
A second round of bids for the animal health businesses being divested by Merck and Schering Plough are due this week with a final decision expected by the end of July, sources familiar with the situation previously told Reuters.
Merck is a partner in the Merial joint venture with French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA. Merial's products include flea and tick treatments for dogs and a medication used to kill parasites in livestock.
Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Bayer AG (BAYG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Novartis AG (NOVN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Boehringer Ingelheim of Germany submitted offers in the first round of bidding, sources previously told Reuters.
Private equity firms are also interested in the animal health businesses, sources familiar with the situation said.
The sector has predictable cash flow that makes it attractive to buyout firms. But the corporate buyers all have deep pockets and a keen interest to find new growth products.
"All roads point to Sanofi winning, but it's a matter of price," said one person close to the Merck talks, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Schering's largest animal health business, Intervet, generated $1.9 billion in revenue last year. One complication of the Merck-Schering auction is the structure of the sale, the source close to the Merck talks said.
During the first round, bidders were able to submit offers for various assets since the sellers had not yet decided which businesses would be sold, that source said.
The decision would be made on whether to divest Merck or Schering's animal health assets once the companies reviewed the bids, that source said.
Pfizer and Wyeth also are divesting animal health assets due to their pending $68 billion merger and that auction is expected to conclude by the end of the month, as well, said two sources close to those negotiations.
"For the bidders, buying an animal health business to add to their existing business makes a lot of sense -- you can take out tons of costs because the same sales people can now sell more products," said a second healthcare investment banker.
"It's a reasonably good growth area -- there's the average flea and tick prevention, but there's now more and more vaccines vets are adding to the list of what you can give your pet. People are just spending more," the second investment banker said. (Additional reporting by Megan Davies in New York, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
Friday, July 10, 2009
7 Days!
Seven more days until our disney trip. I am not sure who is the most excited...I think it is me! But we have been keeping busy. We had a family fun night at the Mall of GA. We went to Build a bear and jumping on the bungee thing. We also had a surprise birthday party for Randy. I didn't have any pictures of that on the phone and can't log on to the homeserver for some reason.
Look at me, look at me!
Audrey getting ready to jump as high as a giant!
Does anyone have any idea who this is? Kelsey just looks so unlike herself in the goggles. The girls have been like fish this summer. Audrey is able to swim along the bottom of the pool underwater and has learned the backstroke. Kelsey can dive down to the bottom to pick up the rings. And the water is never cold to them...you just have to get used to it!
Look at me, look at me!
Audrey getting ready to jump as high as a giant!
We got a double jogging stroller off craigslist for disney. They keep bugging me to push them around the neighborhood while I jog...yea right...they would be flying down a hill with me dragging behind them. Oh, and that is one of those duck things in Audrey's mouth. If you ever take a duck tour (ours is from Stn Mtn) then they give everyone one. I would suggest you make it disappear before you ever leave the park...
Does anyone have any idea who this is? Kelsey just looks so unlike herself in the goggles. The girls have been like fish this summer. Audrey is able to swim along the bottom of the pool underwater and has learned the backstroke. Kelsey can dive down to the bottom to pick up the rings. And the water is never cold to them...you just have to get used to it!
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