Bayer HealthCare opens new animal health research lab

Bayer HealthCare has announced the launch of a new laboratory in New Zealand for research into the health and wellness of farm and companion animals.

The firm has expanded the capacity of its Centre for Innovation and Development in Auckland to include the new facility, which will focus on making animal medicines more effective by developing new formulations.

It will be staffed with a global team of 35 experts, analysts and technicians and will build on the centre's existing work in the animal health field, especially in the areas of mastitis control, reproduction and metabolic health management.

In the past year alone, the Auckland centre has been instrumental in developing the mastitis/pain treatment Tylofen and Hyper-T, a transdermal treatment for hyperthyroidism in cats.

Dirk Ehle, global head of Bayer HealthCare's animal health division, said: "Given the long and costly development process, it is important to fully utilise existing medicines through new formulations and novel combinations."

Last month, the company attended the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology annual meeting in Perth, where it shared insights into the prevention of the spread of parasite-borne diseases worldwide.