A series of four webinars on the New EU Regulations for the Registration of Veterinary Medicines

Product Development has recently run a series of four, one hour training webinars for PDRA colleagues globally to alert them to the major changes in the EU regulations for the registration and maintenance of veterinary medicines, which have been approved by the European Commission and will come into EU law on 22 January 2022. These new regulations are very wide ranging and include a total of 97 objectives with major impacts on our business. The webinars were delivered by Dr Julian Braidwood, MD of the international CRO Triveritas Ltd., and have proved very popular and thought provoking, with an audience of over 70 Dechra colleagues listening from their desks and asking a wide range of questions. Not only is this training format convenient and user friendly for our employees, but it is also an extremely cost effective way of delivering a bespoke and high quality training session on a key topic for our business. The webinars are recorded so that those unable to attend are still able to participate at a time which suits them.

In addition, the Product Development's global clinical team members attended an advanced Word training class for technical report writing. This programme complimented the basic training provided in Delta; geared more toward their job requirements. 22 team members from the US, the Netherlands and the UK participated in the training.

Sales and Marketing Assistant/Placement Student

Katy Mellor joined the UK marketing team last July for a one year placement from Harper Adams University as part of her BSc Agriculture course. Katy has enjoyed learning about the veterinary industry and Dechra's vast and growing range of products whilst being part of a team working in a fast paced environment. She has been integral to the implementation of the Le Vet product launches within the UK, being involved in product forecasting, positioning, pricing and promotion of the products. All of which has furthered her understanding of commercial and marketing business practices. During the last year, Katy has embraced all of the Dechra Values and was formally recognised at a recent UK sales meeting for her contribution and support of her colleagues.

Ben Poulter, Placement Student

"Working at Dechra as the Finance Placement Student I have gained invaluable experience which I will be taking forward into my future career.

Throughout the year I have learnt a lot about working life and working within a finance team. I have gained a deeper understanding of how the different sections of a finance team function within a large company. Dealing with foreign currencies and the different situations created in an international company has expanded my knowledge beyond what I had at university.

The thing that attracted me to Dechra is the opportunity to work within a relatively small Head Office finance team for the size of the Company. This has allowed me to feel like an integral part of the team and it is clear to see the results of my work. I was also interested in the opportunities available within this placement to help with different parts of the finance function and also experience different aspects of the Company. Having the opportunity to have a tour around the factory at Skipton and spending a day with a salesperson provided a new perspective on Dechra which was different to what I had experienced at Head Office. The experience that I have gained working within Dechra will not be forgotten."

Apprentices in the Dechra Service Center (DSC), Uldum

There is a long running tradition of having apprentices at the DSC, primarily in the offices but also in the warehouse. The apprentices follow a formal education scheme and during the two year apprenticeship, they also attend 8 to 12 weeks of training courses at one of the local business colleges. They start with simpler tasks working alongside their colleagues, and as their skills evolve through on-the-job training, they ultimately perform the same role as their colleagues. In the final part of their training, the office trainees write a report on a project that is relevant to their work at Dechra. This report will often contain efficiency or cost savings proposals, and as such we have found that apprentices are of great value to both the Company and the employees. Out of the current employees in Uldum, 14% have been recruited through the apprentice programme, two of whom have been employed for over 20 years.

Martin Thimes Henriksen

"On a search of the job market, I found the apprentice role at Dechra logistics. After a very nervous job interview, my first ever actually, I was sold. Luckily, Dechra thought the same of me. I started my two years as an apprentice in September 2016, and my first few months was quite calm, and I learned the processes piece by piece, which was very nice. Along the way, I got more and more responsibility, and learned a lot from it. I personally think this is the way to train apprentices, I liked it that way. On my training courses, I both shared experiences with fellow apprentices, as well as learned the basics of logistics. I really liked the two years as a trainee, and I do recommend this kind of education to friends and family.

As I am now a regular full time employee in the Logistics department in Denmark, I am now the one trying to pass on my knowledge to the new apprentices arriving. If I follow in the footsteps of my boss, Anders, I will enjoy a long and successful time with the Company, and I sincerely strive to do so."

Rachel Gilroy, Product Development Intern Testimonial

"Coming to the end of your PhD marks a time when you need to make decisions on how you want to progress your future career. Making the move from academia to a career in industry is undeniably daunting, and with no industry connections, it can be difficult to take that first step. For me, I was keen to explore the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, and when I attended a talk given by Dechra at Durham University about career options of veterinarians in industry with focus on R&D, it provided me with an invaluable opportunity to approach Dechra regarding an internship in R&D. Having a long established history within the animal health market alongside a fundamental values system, Dechra represented a growing global market brand able to offer a unique internship experience.

Funded as part of the fully integrated BBSRC DTP PhD Internship programme, my three month placement was based primarily in the Product Development offices in Shrewsbury, UK.

During the initial phase of my internship, tasks were mainly focused on exploring published research to generate a comprehensive literature review which would determine subsequent clinical trial protocols. Moreover, I was involved in the creation of a technical training presentation which would be used for the roll out of a referencing software throughout the Group. Importantly it was during this early stage of my internship that great effort was made by all members of the Dechra team, both UK and international, to introduce themselves, their role and their wealth of previous experience. Not only did this make me feel particularly welcome but was valuable in illustrating how different industry roles are not defined by a single career path.

With a clinical team based largely in the US, Dechra allowed me the opportunity to visit teams in both Maine and Kansas. Working closely with the clinical team in this way gave me tangible experience with procedures and software that formed the basis of clinical operations. Having one-to-one discussions with colleagues working in areas including regulatory affairs, safety and marketing gave me an appreciation of the multi-faceted nature of drug discovery and development, and how each role interlinks with another.

Most notably, I was heavily involved in the formation of a final study report for the submission of pilot clinical trial data to the FDA. Not only did this allow me to assess critically and interpret clinical data, but also present this in a way that complies with current guidelines. Dechra gave me the independence of being able to approach tasks in a manner that suited my skill set, while offering continued mentorship and encouragement during processes with which I was particularly unfamiliar. Being able to participate in clinical operations review meetings highlighted fundamental drug development milestones and challenges, but more importantly, how these are handled.

The ability to overlap my internship with my PhD has allowed me to apply some of the project management and trial protocol techniques to my ongoing research. Furthermore, I was able to present my current PhD research to teams in both the Netherlands and Croatia, sharing knowledge and feedback that could develop my research to application in both academia and industry.

Before working with Dechra, I had little sense of product development processes in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry. Thanks to the dedicated team at Dechra, I now have first-hand industrial experience relating to pharmaceutical research and development, alongside a strong network of industry professionals that have already contributed greatly in my future career. It is with both the confidence and knowledge foundation gained through this internship that I can decisively progress my career toward a role in veterinary pharmaceutical product development."