SWEET pineapple flesh is always fruity favourite, but the rough end of the plant, synonymous with second rate circumstances, is seen as useless. Until now.
Australian animal medicine company Anatara Lifesciences has developed an unlikely use for the stem – it treats the trots in little trotters – and is now eyeing ambitious expansion plans.
Pork is the most consumed meat in the world and more than 1.6 billion piglets born each year. Antibiotics are commonly used to promote growth and reduce diseases like diarrhoea.
The company’s new product, Detach, contains enzymes which stop disease-causing bacteria from attaching to the intestinal lining of piglets. According to Anatara’s chief scientist Dr Tracey Mynott, it could help reduce the pork industry’s reliance on antibiotics.
Large scale pork producers are responding to a consumer-driven shift away from antibiotics, highlighted by McDonald’s recent announcement its products would be anitbiotic-free.
Anatara was swift to align its business plans to the trend, going to the market to fund rapid expansion in 2014.
“We decided to list on the Australian Securities Exchange so we could raise enough capital to take our product to the world, fast,” Dr Mynott said.
In January Anatara signed an exclusive evaluation and license option agreement with global animal health company Zoetis for the development and marketing of Detach worldwide, with Anatara retaining rights to Australia and New Zealand.
Field trials conducted by Anatara showed Detach was effective in reducing piglet mortality by 47.8 per cent. It improved piglet weaning weights by 5.7pc.
Dr Mynott said the cost of antibiotics to treat disease in piglets is significant, but the threat of antimicrobial resistance in humans is bigger.
“Bacterial resistance in humans is linked to widespread use of antibiotics in production animals. It’s a huge problem and we need to act now.”
While Detach was designed as an alternative to antibiotics but Dr Mynott said it’s no supplement.
“It’s a natural product but it’s not a food supplement – it’s a medicine and it’s proven to work.”
Zoetis is trialling Detach in piglets, chickens and calves. Once licensed it may extend the product to sheep and goats. Anatara plans to launch Detach in Australia in 2017 with European and US markets to follow. It’s also searching for a partner to develop Detach for humans.
“Organisms that cause disease in pigs is very similar to those that cause disease in humans which opens plenty of doors for us,” Dr Mynott said.
