Following humans, a second round of competition among corporations in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors has unfolded targeting pets. As the pet-keeping population, including dogs and cats, increases globally, corporations are creating specialized brands for pets and are successively introducing not only veterinary medicines but also food, treats, and nutritional supplements.
Recently, pharmaceutical companies have considered health supplements as a new growth engine following medicines. This trend is also being carried over to the pet market. While past medications developed for humans were applied to pets, fierce competition has led to the development of products that consider the aging trends of pets and the unique characteristics of animals compared to humans.
◇Competition for launching nutritional supplements under specialized pet brands
Boryung's subsidiary, Boryung Consumer Healthcare, announced on the 21st that it introduced six products in the nutritional supplement line 'Liebepet Dr.' under its specialized pet brand 'Liebepet.' The company previously released snacks for dogs and cats, and this time it launched nutritional supplements formulated with functional ingredients. It's similar to health supplements for humans.
Looking at the six newly launched nutritional supplements, the company has segmented its product line into categories that improve oral health, joints, eyes, skin, fur health, and overall immunity. The ingredients in each product include probiotics, boswellia, lutein, colostrum, coenzyme Q10, spirulina, and fish collagen. These are functional components familiar from health supplements consumed by people.
The company explained, "We adopted 'human grade' materials, meaning they are safe for human consumption, to enhance safety and excluded synthetic additives such as preservatives and flavorings so that guardians can choose with confidence."
Cell Biotech, a microbiome specialty company, has launched a probiotic product for dogs called 'DuoPet Probiotics by Duolac.' The company has produced it using safe ingredients that are consumable by humans and considered the higher body temperature of pets (38-39 degrees Celsius) to verify probiotic survival in an environment of 40 degrees, applying their globally patented 'dual coating' technology.
In particular, a weight loss study of probiotics aimed at dogs was conducted, and the results of that study were published in the international journal 'Scientific Reports' last December. Cell Biotech and the Aging Clinical Nutrition Research Institute at Gachon University tracked changes in weight, blood status, and microbiomes (gut microbiota) in 41 overweight and obese dogs over 12 weeks. They stated that the two probiotics demonstrated a weight loss effect in dogs.
Recently, there has been an increase in pet brands that emphasize product functionality and safety. This is evidence that the competition in the pet market is intensifying.
Dong-A Pharmaceutical launched nutritional supplements for dogs and cats under their pet brand 'Vetple' last January. The company targeted not only the physical health of pets but also stress management. According to the company, it used ingredients that help boost pet immunity and reduce stress. They also applied blue-themed colors to the product packaging to accommodate color-blind dogs, allowing the packaging to be recycled later as toys.
◇Advantages of less development time and expense compared to human products
Domestic pharmaceutical companies are leveraging their experience in drug development to also engage in the animal medicine business.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical established a specialized pet healthcare subsidiary, Daewoong Pet, in 2019 and launched 'Udiscia Tablets,' a treatment medication for canine and feline liver diseases. This medication is only available for purchase at veterinary clinics. Daewoong Pet also operates a Contract Research Organization (CRO) business for animal medicines. Yuhan Corporation launched the animal osteoarthritis treatment injection 'AniConju' in collaboration with the biotechnology company Plutol in September 2023.
Animal medicines must also undergo clinical trials to prove safety and efficacy before receiving approval. However, compared to medications for humans, the expenses and time required for clinical trials are less. The development expense for animal medicines is about one-tenth that of human medicines. For pharmaceutical companies, this presents an attractive opportunity to secure revenue in a shorter time frame.
Failed candidates for new drug development can also be repurposed. Medications being developed for human use may not succeed in human clinical trials, but since they have already gone through animal testing, they can sometimes be designated for animal use.
However, industry insiders say that so far, the specialized subsidiaries and brands of domestic pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations have not made significant contributions to corporate growth.
A representative from a pharmaceutical company noted, "Although the population of pet owners is increasing and the lifespan of pets is also lengthening, the market's growth potential is there, yet domestically the market is still not large. Among those who keep pets, the number of high-priced nutritional supplement buyers is not as many as expected, and the food and distribution industries have also entered this market, making competition fierce."
The animal medicine market, like the human pharmaceutical market, is also being dominated by global corporations. The U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer's animal health division has independently operated Zoetis, which is currently the world's number one company in the animal medicine sector. This company offers over 300 products, including vaccines, anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, feed, and nutritional supplements.