News Room

For media inquiries or to schedule an interview,
please contact Sally J. Baker, APR, Director of Public Relations, at
859-233-0147 or sbaker@aaep.org.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) today announced the addition of Merial as an Educational Partner. The Educational Partner program is a group of now 11 corporations dedicated to providing resources and support for education programs to AAEP member veterinarians and horse owners to improve the health and welfare of the horse.

“We are proud to partner with an organization that shares our commitment to excellence in equine health care,” says Frank Hurtig, DVM, MBA, director, veterinary services for Merial. “Many of us at Merial are long-time members of the AAEP, and we know firsthand what valuable resources the organization brings to the entire equine industry. We’re excited to work with the AAEP to help veterinarians, horses and horse owners across the country.”

As a committed partner to equine practitioners and their clients, Merial has been active in supporting the AAEP previously through the sponsorship of key events and programs at the Annual Convention, including a special lecture in 2007 by Dean Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, titled “Lessons from Barbaro.”  In addition, Merial has annually supported the American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians and Assistants (AAEVT) as sponsor of their convention, held in conjunction with the AAEP Annual Convention.

“It is rewarding to have a company like Merial, a long-time exhibitor and supporter, who has proven excellence in promoting the importance of equine health care, partner with our organization,” said Harry Werner, VMD, AAEP president. “We look forward to working together to benefit the continuing education of equine practitioners and horse owners for the health of the horse.”

Merial offers veterinarians and horse owners leading equine brands such as EQUIOXX® (firocoxib), ULCERGARD® (omeprazole), GASTROGARD® (omeprazole), RECOMBITEK® equine vaccines, IMRAB® rabies vaccine, POTOMAVAC™, EQVALAN® (ivermectin) and ZIMECTERIN® Gold (ivermectin/praziquantel).

The 10 other AAEP Educational Partners include: Bayer HealthCare Animal Health Division, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., Fort Dodge Animal Health, IDEXX Laboratories, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Nutrena, Platinum Performance, Pfizer Animal Health and Purina.

Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 5,700 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2008 sales were over $2.6 billion. Merial is a separate subsidiary of sanofi-aventis. For more information, please see www.merial.com.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its nearly 10,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.  For more information, please see www.aaep.org.     

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