Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica manufactures a range of both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products for cattle, pigs, horses, dogs and cats. These products have been sold to veterinary wholesalers who in turn supply veterinary practices upon demand.
It is the global market leader in the sector of porcine vaccines and is active in all species for its vaccine portfolio. Over recent years Boehringer has acquired elements of the combined portfolios of Pfizer Animal Health and Fort Dodge and has also filled a strategic gap in its small animal business in the USA.
Small Animal Vaccine
At a time when Boehringer were considering the benefit of further investment in the small animal vaccine side of its portfolio, they were keen to gain a depth of understanding of vets, and in particular to understand current usage and attitude towards small animal vaccines. Turquoise were commissioned to research key markets in Europe and the USA to help guide further strategic investment in this area. In view of the depth and scope of information that the client required the optimum overall approach was qualitative in nature.
Bovikalc & Hypocalcaemia Research
Bovikalc is an oral calcium supplement in bolus form to be administered to cows liable to develop hypocalcaemia (milk fever). Historically, around 85% of Bovikalc sales have been via ‘over-the-counter’ sales in farmers merchants.
The client approached Turquoise to conduct a study of veterinary professionals and dairy farmers in order to gauge the market potential for Bovikalc. The supplement was essentially a new product launch for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica and as such, it was important to understand attitudes towards the disease as well as prophylactic use of treatments, rather than exploring particular attitudes towards Bovikalc. A quantitative methodology was deemed most appropriate for the research which studied attitudes towards preventative treatment of milk fever in comparison to clinical treatments.
Pig Ileitis
Having completed a previous benchmark study on Pig Ileitis, its treatment and usage of Enterisol, the client requested a repeat study to track any movement in awareness and knowledge of Ileitis, and usage of Enterisol. As a result of the previous study, the field force for Enterisol had been increased, and ‘beer and bacon’ road shows were conducted. These roadshows helped increase awareness of the issues surrounding Pig Ileitis and the impact upon pig farming and meat conversion rates, as well as highlighting Enterisol as a prophylactic treatment.
The key objectives of the second study were to ascertain what progress had been achieved in getting the message of Enterisol across to pig farmers with particular reference to sub-clinical disease and how attitudes and awareness had shifted since the previous benchmark survey. Turquoise recommended a combination of quantitative telephone interviewing with a sample of farmers and a more semi- structured questionnaire for vets given the smaller pig farmer sample size requirement.
Equitop Myoplast
Equitop Myoplast is a feed supplement which contains amino acids which form building blocks for lean muscle development without adding additional bulk. It has been sold by Boehringer Ingelheim in the United Kingdom since September 2008.
The key benefit of Equitop Myoplast is that a horse owner will see a visible improvement in muscular condition of their horses after just three to four weeks use. At the time of our study there were no direct competitors to Equitop Myoplast and it was sold via equine practices.
Turquoise successfully implemented a quantitative methodology to determine the overall awareness and level of sales of Equitop Myoplast by scripting, hosting and conducting a telephone survey using our in-house CATI facility.
Why work with Turquoise?
If you require help or advice regarding any area of animal healthcare market research then we would be delighted to hear from you. With 30 years experience in healthcare, consumer, retail and B2B market research, Turquoise is ideally suited to partner with you on your next project. To find out more about our approach and our services please click here https://thinkturquoise.com/what-we-do/