The first full-scale trial in the Pipestone Vet Clinic’s own research facility, PVC Research 1, is nearly completed, Dr. Joel Nerem reports. And already, he says, the research committee charged with setting the agenda for the next round of studies has made its 2010 selections.

Though some projects undertaken at PVC Research 1 will provide answers fairly quickly, most research done at the new facility will follow a cardinal rule of responsible science: proceed with caution.

“This trial we’re just completing has been held to rigorous protocols, as is always warranted when testing a pharmaceutical product to be used in livestock,” Dr. Nerem stresses. “The product will ultimately come before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval with a goal of reaching the market in 8 to 10 months.”

Numbers from the study—piles and piles of data—will be subjected to a couple months of crunching by statisticians. Two partner companies will give it their own review while the data gets a thorough going-over at the Pipestone Vet Clinic. Separate and impartial evaluation is the goal.

How do Pipestone System shareholders benefit?
Trials in authentic swine-barn conditions provide evidence for assessing a new drug’s value and safety, which is why the drug company participated in this study. But how do Pipestone System shareholders gain from this project?
“It’s valuable for us to have experience with a new drug before it is available to our pork-producer clients,” Dr. Nerem says. “Once we’ve seen it in action we can help producers make good decisions about using the new product.”

The next trial in the research barn will launch seven to ten days after the current trial completes. Dr. Nerem describes it as “a wean-to-finish trial focused on PRRS-virus. In cooperation with our research partners we’re interested in evaluating technologies with potential to reduce PRRS transmission and determining whether there differences in the performance of specific genetic lines when PRRS is present.”

Watch for upcoming stories on results of these and other 2010 trials at PVC Research 1.