Elanco says it plans to significantly increase research and development.

Combined businesses involved in more than 100 development projects

Global animal health company Elanco has finalised its acquisition of Novartis Animal Health. Announcing the news yesterday, Elanco said it plans to significantly increase research and development going forward.

The purchase was announced in April last year, following the company's earlier purchase of Lohmann Animal Health. Both acquisitions position Elanco to diversify its offering.

In addition to its flagship brands, Elanco now has a broader portfolio of nearly 300 brands - including vaccines, therapeutics, antimicrobials, parasiticides and food safety.

“Elanco’s acquisition of Novartis Animal Health brings together two strong companies with a passion for serving the customer,” said Gaynor Hillier, general manager in the UK and Ireland. “We will continue to offer the products our customers trust, while significantly investing in the development of new solutions to meet our customers’ greatest unmet needs.”

Combined, the companies are working on more than 100 product development projects, focused on three key areas:

• Enhancing care and improving quality of life for pets, as well as preventing disease and protecting from parasites
• Protecting livestock from disease and parasites, improving animal wellbeing and reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production
  
• Providing a wider set of solutions in areas such as enzymes, diagnostics, aquaculture and vaccines
  

Elanco, which is a division of the leading pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company, also aims to help farmers around the world to produce more food using fewer resources to meet growing demands.

Complete integration of the two companies will take time but Elanco says its existing service and product availability will continue uninterrupted.