Month: February 2024

Jeff Simmons, President and CEO of Elanco Animal Health, joined Jim Cramer on Mad Money to discuss Elanco’s exciting pipeline with six potential blockbuster products expected to launch in major markets over the next two years. The company recently launched the first and only USDA conditionally-approved therapeutic solution proven to treat canine parvovirus (parvo) — one of the most contagious and deadly viruses a dog can contract with a 91%1 mortality rate if not treated with supportive care.

In support of this cause, Elanco announced a first-of-its-kind, multi-year campaign to save 1 million puppies from unnecessary death from the highly contagious parvo: Defend Puppies. Defeat Parvo.  An estimated 900 dogs are diagnosed with parvo daily2 in the U.S. – mostly unvaccinated puppies. Yet Elanco research revealed only 44% of dog owners know what parvo is, with 20% having no knowledge of the disease.3 With dog owners being the first line of defense in protecting their puppies, there is need for more wide-spread education.  

With the introduction of the Defend Puppies. Defeat Parvo. mission, Elanco aims to increase education about this deadly disease, while increasing veterinarian’s access to the first and only U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conditionally approved treatment for parvo – Elanco’s Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody.

1 Sykes, JE. Canine Parvovirus Infections and Other Viral Enteritides. Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases. 2014:141-151
2 Elanco Animal Health. Data on File.
3 Elanco Animal Health. Market Data on File.

A construction industry association recognized Marathon Petroleum’s Anacortes, Washington, refinery with an award for the best private-sector project of 2023 under $10 million.The Northwest Construction Consumer Council honored a refinery initiative to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), noting its innovation, safety and efficient completion.The refinery applied for a U.S. utility patent in relation to the project, which has the equivalent impact on NOx emissions of removing 180,000 light-duty vehicles from the road a year.

Removing 180,000 light-duty vehicles from the road every year. This is the equivalent impact on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from an effort in Washington state that the Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) recently honored as the best private-sector project of 2023 under $10 million. The initiative at Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) Anacortes refinery incorporated selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) technology at the site to decrease NOx emissions.

“This project exceeded our expectations by achieving a 31% reduction in NOx emissions, which amounts to 321 tons per year,” said MPC Process Engineer David Rudd. “We used computational fluid dynamics modeling to arrange chemical reactions that accomplish NOx destruction.”

Using ammonia from a specific refinery waste stream for this purpose represents what is believed to be a refining industry first.

The project focused on one of the two carbon monoxide (CO) boilers in the Anacortes refinery’s fluid catalytic cracking unit. Infrastructure was added to reroute ammonia that comes from another refining process for injection into the CO boiler’s firebox. This allows the ammonia to react with oxygen and NOx to produce nitrogen and water vapor, resulting in lower emissions.

Using ammonia from a specific refinery waste stream for this purpose represents what is believed to be a refining industry first. This approach also served as the basis of the refinery’s application for a U.S. utility patent, which is pending.

“In addition to innovation, the NWCCC recognized this effort for being safe, on time and under budget,” said MPC Engineering Supervisor Zac Nightingale. “It was a highly efficient use of resources, especially in light of comparable emissions-reduction methods that could cost 10 to 20 times as much to implement.”

Completing the project required collaboration inside and outside the refinery. The site’s technical services and environmental departments worked together along with contractors who provided engineering support and instrumentation and electrical services as well as carried out construction. The Anacortes refinery is exploring plans to install a similar SNCR injection system on the second CO boiler in the future.