Apiam gives Aussie farmers a boost with new piglet survival treatment

Special Report: The new Forceris treatment offers a material benefit compared to existing products in the market.

Animal health company Apiam (ASX:AHX) has again leveraged its global partnership network to provide a market-leading new product for its local client base.

AHX this morning confirmed the release of Forceris, a single-shot treatment that prevents iron deficiencies and controls the incidence of coccidiosis (an intestinal disease) in newborn piglets.

The new patented technology, developed by global pharmaceutical company, Ceva Sante Animale, will allow Australian farmers to streamline their operations and cut costs.

Currently, around 5 million piglets in Australia are given an iron shot in the first 24-48 hours of life. More than two thirds of those piglets are then provided with a coccidiostat 2-3 days later.

Piglet health

Apiam’s technology administers the relevant treatments in a single event.

And by doing so, it reduces handling costs and external disruption to baby pigs “in their critical first few days of life”.

“Apiam’s global relationships will once again benefit the Australian farmer. No double-handling pigs increases efficiency at the farm level,” the company said.

Today’s announcement if the latest example of Apiam’s capacity to execute on a multi-channel distribution approach.

Along with its animal vaccine products, the company is coming off a strong September quarter with its subscription-based veterinary services amid a post-Covid surge in pet ownership.

The company’s vertically integrated veterinary business was a “critical determining factor for Ceva to identify Apiam as its preferred partner” in bring Forceris to market, the company said.

The treatment works by supplying iron via the Gleptoferron molecule, which provides “optimal uptake and efficiency within the growing piglet”, Apiam said.

In addition, “the high-quality single shot delivery system minimises wastage and allows precise delivery”.

That’s a direct improvement on the old two-step process, which utilises a less-effective iron molecule and an inferior drug-delivery process (oral pathway) for the coccidiostat treatment.

More broadly, Apiam said the rollout of the Forceris technology fits within its broader strategy to assist customers not just at the individual animal level, but across their entire production system.

With strong momentum into year-end, Apiam shares continue to trade at multi-year highs around 70c, after climbing by around 50 per cent in the September quarter.

This article was developed in collaboration with Apiam, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.