People: Pfizer Animal Health announces new director

//31 Jan 2012
Pfizer Animal Health announces the promotion of Scott Webster, M.S., to director for the Improvest (gonadotropin releasing factor analog-diphtheria toxoid conjugate) team. He will provide leadership to the Improvest team and be responsible for outreach to customers, retailers and industry stakeholders.
Webster joined Pfizer Animal Health's U.S. Pork Business Unit as quality assurance manager in 2009. In this role, he developed and managed a team that ensured comprehensive quality assurance protocols were properly implemented for Improvest programs.

"Scott has made tremendous contributions during the launch of Improvest," says Gloria Basse, group director, U.S. Pork Business Unit. "He led the team that developed the unprecedented farm-to-market quality assurance program that ensures pork from pigs given Improvest continues to meet the same high quality standards consumers enjoy today."

Prior to joining Pfizer Animal Health in 2009, Webster was vice president of production operations at Murphy-Brown LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Smithfield Foods). He held positions of increasing responsibility during 17 years with various companies in the Smithfield Foods current holdings. He was also a nutritional consultant for DeKalb Feeds, Inc. Webster earned a bachelor of science degree in animal science from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in animal science from the University of Missouri.

Webster is filling the Improvest team lead position vacated by Dr. Jim Bradford who, after a distinguished 39-year career in the veterinary industry, retired from Pfizer Animal Health at the end of 2011.

"Jim has made tremendous contributions to Pfizer Animal Health and is a credit to his profession," says Basse. "He continuously strives for excellence and always keeps the customer and the pork industry's best interests in mind. He will truly be missed for not only his professional contributions, but also his supportive nature, sense of integrity and ability to collaborate across boundaries."

Improvest is an FDA-approved veterinarian prescription immunological castration product that is a safe and effective alternative to surgical castration to manage unpleasant aromas that can occur in pork from some male pigs. It is a protein compound that uses the pig's own immune system to temporarily provide the same effect as surgical castration, but much later in a pig's life.

Important Safety Information

Improvest is only available by prescription from a veterinarian because professional expertise is required to properly administer the product and due to the significant impact on human reproductive function if self-injected. There is no risk of these effects on an individual who consumes pork from pigs given Improvest.

** Additional product information is available here.