Heartworm Disease Prevention Initiative

DULUTH, Ga. (Oct. 23, 2019) — Boehringer Ingelheim, the makers of HEARTGARD® Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel), announced the progress of its Heartworm 2020 initiative. As of today, over 2,500 Heartworm 2020 trackers have been submitted from participating clinics, showing that over 51,000 previously unprotected dogs are now receiving heartworm disease prevention.

Boehringer Ingelheim launched Heartworm 2020 at VMX in January 2019 as a response to recent American Heartworm Society data showing heartworm disease incidence rates were on the rise across the country.1 The initiative challenges veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and clinic staff to get just 20 new dogs in their practice on heartworm disease prevention by January 1, 2020.

Rebecca Wilsey, DVM and practice owner at Care Animal Hospital of Pleasant Prairie in Wisconsin, shared her experience with Heartworm 2020 that helped her staff get aligned behind a common goal.

“Once our staff began tracking the new dogs receiving prevention, I didn’t fully believe the numbers,” said Wilsey. “However, when I verified against our patient records, we truly were protecting new dogs in our practice. So far, we’ve submitted over 24 forms and our clinic staff is aligned with talking points to educate the pet owner. They quickly reached their first goal of 200 new dogs protected and have a higher goal they are reaching for now!”

The Heartworm 2020 initiative also encouraged pet owners to share photos of their newly protected pet on social media using #heartworm2020. While images of happy pups sporting heart-shaped sunglasses have flooded the Internet, social media savvy clinics also used the hashtag to provide education to their clients, such as promoting Heartworm Disease Awareness month in April.

“Our vision with Heartworm 2020 was to arm clinic staff with additional tools and resources to support them in having meaningful conversations about heartworm disease with clients. With vets, techs, and clinic staff aligned on a common goal for their practice, more dogs are leaving clinics with heartworm disease prevention and it’s making a difference on a national scale,” said Holly Mueller, Heartgard Senior Brand Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim. “The momentum of this campaign will continue throughout the rest of the year so that even more dogs are protected against heartworm disease going into 2020.”

To participate in the Heartworm 2020 initiative clinics can visit HeartgardClinic.com to download tracking sheets and submit contest entries. They can also reach out to their Boehringer Ingelheim sales representative to receive more details on the program.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

HEARTGARD® Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel) is well tolerated. All dogs should be tested for heartworm infection before starting a preventive program. Following the use of HEARTGARD Plus, digestive and neurological side effects have rarely been reported. For more information, please see full prescribing information or visit www.HEARTGARD.com.

References:

1. Heartworm Incidence Maps. American Heartworm Society website.
https://www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary-resources/incidence-maps Accessed January 9, 2019.

About Boehringer Ingelheim’s Animal Health business

Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world, with net sales of almost $4.7 billion (3.9 billion euros) worldwide in 2018, about 10,000 employees and a presence in more than 150 markets. The company has pioneered advancements in vaccines, parasite-control products and therapeutics that limit pain and slow disease, and aims to create the future of animal wellbeing for pets, horses and livestock by focusing on prevention.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s Animal Health Business has a significant presence in the United States, with more than 3,000 employees in places that include Georgia, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey and Puerto Rico. To learn more, visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.us, www.facebook.com/BoehringerAHUS or www.twitter.com/Boehringer_AH.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Improving the health of humans and animals is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.

Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas: human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around $20.7 billion (17.5 billion euros). R&D expenditure of about $3.8 billion (3.2 billion euros), corresponded to 18.1 per cent of net sales.

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards mankind and the environment.

Media Contact:

Lindsey Goodman
Shepherd Agency
706-201-6721
lgoodman@shepherdagency.com