AgriLabs & SmartVet sign exclusive sales and marketing agreement

Date:06-24-2011

Adam Yankowsky, Strategic Business Unit Manager at AgriLabs, announced that the company has signed an exclusive sales and marketing agreement with SmartVet, makers of the VetCap® Delivery System and AIMC (Advanced Insecticide Management) insecticide GelCaps.

This innovative methodology to control flies and lice by a single worker without physically handling cattle was first showcased at the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor 'Investment Forum'.

Grant Weyer, president of SmartVet, said that "We were enthusiastic about demonstrating our product's proof-of-concept before a high caliber audience of industry leaders and strategic decision makers representing international animal health companies. The K.C. Animal Health Corridor accounts for a third of the $19 billion global animal health sales market, and we are proud to be associated with them."

He went on to say that "The Investment Forum was an extraordinarily successful opportunity for us. Steve Schram, CEO of AgriLabs, and I inked the agreement, and I have returned to Kansas City today in preparation of the launch of our remote applied delivery system. As we develop new technologies and add products to our pipeline, we will continue to rely on the Animal Health Corridor, and particularly the Investment Forum, as the primary gateways to industry-leading companies like AgriLabs, for access to the animal health marketplace."

Dr. Joel Ehrenzweig, Technical Services Manager for AgriLabs, added that, "As a veterinarian dealing with the significant challenges cattlemen face in the field and as an industry representative, I cannot emphasize too strongly the significance of the role of the Animal Health Corridor in bringing SmartVet's VetCap technology to AgriLabs. Lost production from horn flies cost cattlemen an estimated $800 million a year. Since the VetCap Delivery System does not require running cattle through a chute, the costs of treating cattle and production loss due to handling stress are significantly reduced."

The AIMC GelCap contains cyfluthrin, a highly effective insecticide for the treatment of horn flies, face flies, and biting and sucking lice. It is the first insecticide designed specifically for long distance delivery to receive regulatory approval in the United States.

This summer the AgriLabs field sales team will be demonstrating the cutting-edge VetCap System to cattlemen at dealer locations throughout the Gulf States. When users have an opportunity to handle and test the tough VetCap applicator ,they will immediately appreciate the years of research and development that have gone into producing a tool that will stand up to rough use in the field and perform for years. And AIMC GelCaps are engineered to survive real-world use and the rigors of field administration, delivering the correct amount of insecticidal protection.

Mr. Yankowsky noted that "With this exclusive collaboration, SmartVet can reach the beef cattle market and dovetail with our business model of partnering with inventive development companies who can benefit from the broad sales and marketing reach of AgriLabs."

The addition of the VetCap System furthers the commitment of AgriLabs to offer relevant and technically-driven products to producers. The company continues to augment its core food animal capabilities of science-backed products from innovative partners, like SmartVet, through the ongoing efforts of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor.