FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News release
New supplement promotes gastrointestinal self-healing in horses
Low-cost alternative treatment for Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
Belleville, Ontario, April 9, 2012 - A new botanical based product is now available in the United States that will help promote equine gastrointestinal self-healing by supporting a horse's own natural defenses. Equine Gastrafate® is a gastrointestinal mucosal protectant that can be used in the treatment of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome. Studies have shown that as many as 80% of all performance horses suffer from ulcers.
"Acid-reducing treatments for horses are not a long-term solution, and drug therapies can be expensive. Rapid recurrence of ulcers is common if those therapies are stopped," says Andrew Grant, President of Bioniche Animal Health (global). "Equine Gastrafate® is a low-cost alternative to drugs that are currently available and it provides natural, direct, on-contact support to the mucosal lining, allowing it to heal itself."
A study was conducted over a three-and-a-half year period with 32 equine veterinarians in an open-label field study involving 209 horses. Clinical results have shown that 85% of horses with ulcer-associated colic and 91% of horses with diarrhea-associated colic showed improvement within four days when treated with Equine Gastrafate®.
Equine Gastrafate® is available in 500 mL bottles from veterinarians. The liquid can be administered directly or via a horse's feed. One bottle provides a one-month supply of the supplement for an average -sized 1,000 pound horse.
Bioniche Animal Health was formed in 1979 in Canada as a privately owned company to develop vaccines and other pharmaceutical-based products for the management of animal diseases. Now a business unit of Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a publicly listed biopharmaceutical company (TSX: BNC and ASX: BNC), Bioniche Animal Health has marketing subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States. Visit www.bionicheanimalhealth.com.
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For more information:
Heather Cline, Bioniche Animal Health USA, Inc.
706-549-4503
heather.cline@bioniche.com
