In its continuing efforts to advance animal care, Zoetis has acquired NewMetrica, a pioneering Scottish company that has developed state-of-the-art digital instruments in the form of structured questionnaires that are designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQL) in non-verbal species as a strategic addition to its companion animal portfolio.
Using a foundation of best practices in human healthcare measurement, NewMetrica has developed products such as VetMetrica, which measure how an animal “feels” about its circumstances from its individual perspective.
“This novel approach supports a significant shift in veterinary care and animal welfare more generally towards the attainment of good or excellent quality of life in companion animals. The benefits of NewMetrica’s digital instruments have been validated through scientific publications and the FDA, and the EMA has confirmed the algorithms that produce the results,” said Jim Brick, vice president CDLCI.
“This acquisition will enhance our capabilities across the continuum of care, advance our expertise in quality-of-life assessments, and lead to more meaningful understanding of an animal’s wellbeing.
“We expect NewMetrica’s tools and algorithms to support earlier detection and treatment of diseases as we gain more insight into the quality of life of our pets and be an important element of future product development. This acquisition is very much in line with our purpose: to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals,” said Jamie Brannan, president international operations, Zoetis.
“As we grow our market leadership and innovations in osteoarthritis pain, we are excited to demonstrate the impact our products can have on the quality of life of pets. NewMetrica’s instruments will give us scientifically validated results for alleviation of OA pain that veterinarians and pet owners will appreciate and value.”
Jackie Reid, founder of NewMetrica concludes: “Using a foundation of best practice in human healthcare measurement, NewMetrica has developed the VetMetrica collection of quality of life tools that measure how an animal ‘feels’ about its circumstances from its individual perspective.
“This novel approach supports a significant shift in veterinary care and animal welfare more generally towards the attainment of good or excellent quality of life in companion animals.
“I am delighted that we are now part of Zoetis; this will allow us to further our ambitions as world leaders in the field of quality of life measurement in non-verbal species, whether it be through interactions with owners, veterinarians and the pharmaceutical industry or through continuing our research and development.”
Read more about NewMetrica on the website.