Novartis ($NVS) isn't pussyfooting around its animal-drug shortages. But with supply problems still dogging the most popular products, veterinarians are howling--and switching their four-pawed patients to rival products.
As the Veterinary Information Network reports, the Swiss-based drugmaker recently wrote vet customers to plead for patience. Novartis Animal Health Sales VP Andy Ferrigno admitted that the shutdown of a Lincoln, NE, plant last September has cut off supplies of key products, particularly the parasite-fighters Interceptor and Sentinel. But Novartis is "working diligently" to get its products back on the distribution list, he wrote.
The problem for Novartis is that its competitors are ready and willing to take advantage of the market vacuum. "Your clinic will be approached in the coming months by our competitors, offering you load-in deals and terms that may draw your interest," Ferrigno wrote (as quoted by VIN News). "[W]e hope you will seriously consider saving us a spot on your shelves.