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Taking the pain out of lamb marking: Tri–Solfen® approved for extended use in all sheep breeds

In a ground breaking new development for farmers, and for animal welfare – the Australian Veterinarian Medicine regulator (APVMA) has now extended the approved use of Tri-Solfen® anaesthetic to include the alleviation of pain in lambs, from all breeds, undergoing castration and tail docking.

Already approved and widely used to alleviate pain in lambs undergoing mulesing, Tri-Solfen® has a unique 3-way action designed to numb the wound, minimise bleeding and protect against infection. Scientific trials have demonstrated pain alleviation for up to 24 hours, and improved wound healing.

To date, 60 million lambs have been treated with Tri-Solfen®, with the product available to be purchased, over the counter, from your local veterinarian or rural retailers.

On-going trials conducted by Sydney University Veterinary School, confirmed that Tri-Solfen® is also effective in alleviating pain, post castration and tail docking in lambs.  The APVMA has now approved the product for these uses.

“It is a win for farmers, a win for lambs, a win for animal welfare – and a win for the Australian sheep and wool industry”, says Allan Giffard, Managing Director of Animal Ethics.  It provides a practical solution for farmers to alleviate the pain associated with these husbandry procedures, all three of which are relied on for important animal health and management reasons. This in turn may improve mothering-up and minimise set-back, whilst also addressing consumer concerns regarding welfare.”

“Farm animals experience pain in the same way as dogs, cats and other companion animals. They deserve the same respect and effort to develop safe, affordable and effective pain relief and wound care, that is practical for farmers to use.  Tri-Solfen® is the first product to successfully address this important need.”

It is currently estimated that 70 % of lambs undergoing mulesing each year, receive Tri-Solfen®.  Many, or most of these lambs, undergo surgical castration and/or tail docking at the same time.  The approval for the extension of use means that Tri-Solfen® may now be used to alleviate pain associated with all 3 wounds, at the same time. It may now also be used on all breeds of sheep.  An estimated 20 million sheep are castrated, and 30 million are tail docked, each year.

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About Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics is a commercial and development stage company focused on pain mitigation in wounds for humans and animals.

Through our proven patent protected platform technology, we have identified a transformational way of mitigating pain and minimising suffering associated with wounds.

About Tri-Solfen®

Tri-Solfen® is a local anaesthetic and antiseptic gel spray that adheres well to wounds and acts as a barrier to environmental stimuli, promotes haemostasis and improves wound healing. Tri-Solfen® contains two proven topical local anaesthetics; fast-acting Lignocaine for immediate pain relief and long-acting Bupivacaine for prolonged post-operative pain relief. Adrenaline is included for its ability to reduce the shock and stress of blood loss, whilst prolonging the anaesthetic action. Tri-Solfen® also contains Cetrimide; an antiseptic widely used to cleanse skin and wounds and provides protection from bacterial contamination.

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Australian Government confirms Tri-Solfen® number 1 registration priority for livestock industries

The Australian Government Rural Industries and Research Development Corporation (RIRDC) has identified Tri-Solfen® (the Australian developed wound healing and pain management product for animals) as the number 1 registration priority for the Sheep, Cattle, Pig and Alpaca industries.  The priority list was released on the RIRDC website www.rirdc.gov.au/agvet

Tri-Solfen®’s wound healing and pain relief technology addresses animal welfare concerns raised by major retailers and consumer groups regarding farming husbandry procedures in livestock, providing improved animal productivity, less pain, and resulting better welfare outcomes.

Tri-Solfen® has been proven effective in farm husbandry procedures such as tail docking, castration, dehorning, branding and other accidental wounds, further having the potential to reduce or eliminate the need for the use of antibiotics in the food chain that has traditionally occurred during some of these procedures.  Currently Trisolfen is registered for the Australian sheep industry for routine fly strike surgery, treating 3 million merino lambs per annum.

“We are now working with  livestock industry groups, the Australian Regulator (APVMA) and industry levy bodies  ( MLA and AWI ) to ensure Tri-Solfen® is approved for use in other livestock  procedures ” states Allan Giffard, Managing Director of Animal Ethics. “ Also, other countries have taken interest in our work, as we recently began work trialling Trisolfen in the EU with Portugal University on dehorning wound and pain management, so these issues are international and growing” says Giffard.

Animal Ethics Pty Ltd was also recently granted patents in the EU, USA, Canada and NZ, paving the way for the wound healing and pain relief technology to be commercialised in these international animal health markets.

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About Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics is a commercial and development stage company focused on pain mitigation in wounds for humans and animals.

Through our proven patent protected platform technology, we have identified a transformational way of mitigating pain and minimising suffering associated with wounds.

About Tri-Solfen®

Tri-Solfen® is a local anaesthetic and antiseptic gel spray that adheres well to wounds and acts as a barrier to environmental stimuli, promotes haemostasis and improves wound healing. Tri-Solfen® contains two proven topical local anaesthetics; fast-acting Lignocaine for immediate pain relief and long-acting Bupivacaine for prolonged post-operative pain relief. Adrenaline is included for its ability to reduce the shock and stress of blood loss, whilst prolonging the anaesthetic action. Tri-Solfen® also contains Cetrimide; an antiseptic widely used to cleanse skin and wounds and provides protection from bacterial contamination.

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Animal pain relief product Tri-Solfen® – US patent granted

Solution to major retailers’ Animal Welfare Policy dilemmas

United States – Patent number 8960128

Tri-Solfen®, pain relief product for dehorning, castration, tail docking and other painful procedures has now been successfully patented in the U.S.  This provides commercial protection for the product to be used for topical pain and wound healing in all species of farm animals and humans, and follows-on from successful patents granted in the EU, Australia & New Zealand.

The developers of Tri-Solfen®, Animal Ethics Pty Ltd’s Managing Director, Allan Giffard, states that “the patenting of Tri-Solfen® is timely in these key international farming markets, as animal welfare is now a key focus of governments, consumers, producers, processors and retail chains such as Walmart, Sodexo, Nestle, Saputo, Aramark and many others”. He also states that “increasing numbers of consumers need assurance that their food and fibre is produced humanely and without cruelty”.

Allan Giffard is visiting North America this week to meet with potential commercial partners, and regulators to fast-track the use of Tri-Solfen® in piglets and calves.

Tri-Solfen® is currently registered in Australia for pain and wound management in sheep, with pending registration for its use in beef, pigs, goats, alpacas and companion animals.

Tri-Solfen® is a farmer applied pain relieving spray gel that gives 24 hour topical analgesia to any open wound, and is now used by over 60 % of the Australian merino sheep industry.

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About Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics is a commercial and development stage company focused on pain mitigation in wounds for humans and animals.

Through our proven patent protected platform technology, we have identified a transformational way of mitigating pain and minimising suffering associated with wounds.

About Tri-Solfen®

Tri-Solfen® is a local anaesthetic and antiseptic gel spray that adheres well to wounds and acts as a barrier to environmental stimuli, promotes haemostasis and improves wound healing. Tri-Solfen® contains two proven topical local anaesthetics; fast-acting Lignocaine for immediate pain relief and long-acting Bupivacaine for prolonged post-operative pain relief. Adrenaline is included for its ability to reduce the shock and stress of blood loss, whilst prolonging the anaesthetic action. Tri-Solfen® also contains Cetrimide; an antiseptic widely used to cleanse skin and wounds and provides protection from bacterial contamination.

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Farm animal pain relief product Tri–Solfen® achieves Australian government registration

In a world first on 14 December 2011, Animal Ethics Pty Ltd received full Australian Government registration for sheep pain relief product Tri-Solfen®, issued by the APVMA (Australian Pesticide Veterinary Medicine Authority) after 7 years of rigorous research and extensive use on lambs undergoing the controversial mulesing practice.

Since 2005, over 25 million merino lambs undergoing surgical mulesing have been treated with Tri-Solfen® under a special interim permit issued by the APVMA.  Since this time Australian Veterinarians have been monitoring and helping to educate the nation’s farmers in Best Animal Welfare practices.  This permit and the ongoing rigorous research into the safety and effectiveness of Tri-Solfen® led to the Australian Government granting full registration of the product.

The final registration details recorded the fact that Tri-Solfen® is totally safe to use on wool producing sheep and has no risk to humans, meat trade or the sheep being treated.

Tri-Solfen® was funded by the privately owned company Animal Ethics and received no woolgrower levies. A commercial outcome based on sound science and strong business principles.

Tri-Solfen® is the first product of its kind in the farming world. It is a unique, highly effective, safe and practical to use pain relief & wound healing medication.  It is topically applied by the farmer, allowing for a convenient and very low cost solution for farmers wishing to undertake Best Animal Welfare practices.

Other farming sectors, nationally and internationally have now approached Animal Ethics to fast track research and registrations for products that address new welfare standards and higher consumer expectations, for farm animals undergoing dehorning, castration, branding or tail docking, with a sensible interest in being proactive in meeting new markets rather than reactive.

Over 1 billion farm animals globally undergo painful husbandry procedures every year without any form of pain relief.  Animal Ethics is now well positioned to capitalise on new emerging markets and will seek investment partners to assist with the fast tracking of product registrations for other species that will meet surging demands from consumers, farming sectors and animal welfare groups.

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About Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics is a commercial and development stage company focused on pain mitigation in wounds for humans and animals.

Through our proven patent protected platform technology, we have identified a transformational way of mitigating pain and minimising suffering associated with wounds.

About Tri-Solfen®

Tri-Solfen® is a local anaesthetic and antiseptic gel spray that adheres well to wounds and acts as a barrier to environmental stimuli, promotes haemostasis and improves wound healing. Tri-Solfen® contains two proven topical local anaesthetics; fast-acting Lignocaine for immediate pain relief and long-acting Bupivacaine for prolonged post-operative pain relief. Adrenaline is included for its ability to reduce the shock and stress of blood loss, whilst prolonging the anaesthetic action. Tri-Solfen® also contains Cetrimide; an antiseptic widely used to cleanse skin and wounds and provides protection from bacterial contamination.