Although he has no pharmaceutical or veterinary background, Branson Bruce’s connections to the veterinary industry and love of pets give him a unique advantage in his role at Epicur. Learn more about how he made his way into veterinary pharmaceuticals and how he helps veterinary professionals understand the importance of veterinary drug manufacturing.
Get to know Branson!
We’re excited to learn more about your role, Branson! Can you tell us about your work with Epicur?
I am a Veterinary Specialty Sales Rep and I’ve been with Epicur for almost seven years now. As Sam mentioned in her blog, the regions we each cover are large. I cover Florida all the way to Washington State and work with clients all over the country except for the Northeast.
In general, my responsibilities include meeting with specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals. But I also work closely with university vet schools and build relationships with the doctors and purchasers at those teaching hospitals too.
In talking with Sam, we know she really enjoys the veterinary ophthalmology specialty. Is there a certain specialty that you’re drawn to?
Ophthalmology and oncology are probably the specialties that get the most focus because those are our biggest markets and they use Epicur products the most. Cardiology is starting to grow, but we’ve always had a major focus on ophthalmology.
I enjoy working with both specialties for different reasons. They each bring something unique to their patients with such different personalities. Oncologists deal with death all the time because of the severity of their specialty, but they are upbeat and positive about their work. The ophthalmologists I work with are very low-key and bring their own sense of calm positivity to practice settings. Both have high-stress specialties but consistently make positive patient outcomes their priority and goal.
What did you do prior to joining Epicur?
I have a degree in business, but I went to culinary school and worked in hospitality for the vast majority of my career prior to Epicur, with a few other things here and there. So, it was a very interesting transition joining Stokes Healthcare without working in a medical setting before.
Interesting! How did your career in hospitality end up leading you to Epicur?
I chose to join Epicur/Stokes because of my wife; she’s a veterinarian. We had been living in the Florida Keys and she was working all kinds of crazy hours. She was ready for a change, so we moved up to Tampa. One of our good friends worked for BluePearl and had a close relationship with Stokes Healthcare. The opportunity presented itself, and I was kind of ready to get out of hospitality and sales felt like a natural fit. Hospitality is sales just in a different light.
Oh, your wife is a veterinarian? Do you guys have a house full of pets?
Yes, we have a mini array of pets! We have three tortoises, a rabbit, our dog, and many others. It was funny, I had been at home a lot because of the pandemic and not traveling, and then I was away at one of the first conferences and got a text asking, “what do you think of this cute rabbit?” I said, “I guess it’s cute,” and the next thing I know I come home and we have a rabbit! I go out of town after the pandemic and suddenly, we end up with another one.
From hospitality to veterinary pharmaceuticals is a big change in industries. Was there a big learning curve for you?
Yeah, for sure because it’s a different type of sales; in hospitality, people are coming to you and you don’t really have to seek them out whereas at Epicur, I’m going out and actually engaging prospects trying to ask for the sales. But I’m a people person and I love talking to people, so that part wasn’t much of a difference.
Learning the pharmaceutical world though, that was huge. I “cheated” a lot because my wife’s a veterinarian—I texted or called her anytime I had questions. Sometimes I still text her about answers when I get asked a tricky question. I learn a lot through her.
That’s a nice advantage that she’s a veterinarian! She has a unique influence on your work it seems, but do you also influence her work? Does she ask about products or regulations?
Yeah, when Stokes Healthcare started our new division Epicur Pharma, like many veterinarians, she didn’t know anything about 503Bs, so she had a lot of questions and she got to learn from me in those cases. It’s nice for us to be able to ask each other questions and gain insight from a vendor’s perspective, or vice versa, from a veterinarian’s perspective.
We know Epicur is dedicated to helping vets better understand 503B manufacturing and the benefits of using manufactured products. How has having a personal relationship with a veterinarian influenced your approach in educating about 503B manufacturing?
My wife has helped a lot because whenever I would talk to clients about 503B and the cGMP process they all have this glazed look on their faces. A lot of times they have no clue what you’re talking about or what those terms mean.
In talking with my wife, she recommended putting a focus more on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) portion of our process. Veterinarians know the FDA; they don’t know cGMP. So, when I talk to clients and say we’re regulated by the FDA that seems to connect better than trying to talk about all the different requirements we have to follow. Saying Epicur is regulated by the FDA is enough to let them know our products are manufactured against strict processes.
I think people are starting to understand more about what 503B means to veterinary care, but we still get a lot of questions, and we still have a long way to go.
What do you see as the biggest challenges in 503B education? Where do those gaps still exist?
Unfortunately, some other 503B manufacturers cause confusion by trying to say 503Bs are the same as 503As when they aren’t, so it muddies the waters a lot. That’s one of our hindrances—veterinary professionals are hearing two different stories.
Another big gap is when veterinary professionals believe the only 503B difference is testing. It’s not just about the testing, anybody can say they test a product; it’s more about validation throughout the entire process. 503B outsourcing facilities adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practices which are the same regulations followed by commercial manufacturers. 503B products must meet strict FDA regulations and potency variance must fall within +/- 10%. Compounding pharmacies, unlike 503Bs, are not required to test the final product.
When you’re working with a new veterinary practice how do you explain that value to them?
The big thing is letting them know that because Epicur is an outsourcing facility they’re getting a quality product. The product is what it says it is on the label, it’s 100% manufactured and we’re giving them a product that they can use for office administration and dispensing so they can start patient care immediately.
That’s the biggest thing a lot of these doctors, technicians, or even purchasers need to hear. They know in certain states they can’t dispense products from a compounding pharmacy, or even keep them in stock, but Epicur is able to provide a product that they can actually start patient care with immediately. They don’t have to wait a couple of days for that patient to get it. That’s always the hardest thing to say, “Hey, your dog needs to be on this eye drop and you need to start it right away…but it’s going to take three days to get it.” Or “your dog’s throwing up, but you have to wait for that medication.”
The value is in our ability to help them start patient care immediately and give them a comfort level in the quality of care that they have in a commercial product.
There are obvious differences between 503A compounders and 503B manufacturers, but it can be confusing to understand what types of products come from each facility. Why is staying educated on the difference so important for veterinary practices?
Unfortunately, I had a recent case that highlighted the importance of knowing where your veterinary drugs come from. The doctor specifically uses Epicur, but a colleague in her practice had ordered a product from a compounding pharmacy and, sadly, the pet died.
Because the veterinarian at the practice advocates for using Epicur’s 503B manufactured products, she asked us to do a presentation for her staff to help them better understand the importance. We are one of the only 503B manufacturers that are offering oncology products, and she only prescribes commercial or 503B manufactured medications.
What would you say are your favorite aspects of your job?
When you get into sales, you’re wanting to sell and to make money, but when I started with Stokes Healthcare, one of the things I started to enjoy most was building relationships. And now that I’ve been here a while it’s not just the relationships, but the friendships I’ve made with all these doctors and technicians. A lot of them I consider true friends at this point. Yes, obviously, I’m trying to sell our products, but I’ve just really developed close bonds with a lot of these doctors and technicians. That’s probably my favorite aspect, just getting to know these people on a personal level.
How do you build that trust that takes you from salesperson and customer to friends?
Well, there’s always the normal sales conversation, but it’s really just getting to know them on a personal level and really trying to connect with them. Telling them you have a great product and a tested product only goes so far, you know, you need to take ownership of it and build that relationship to let them know that you’re there for them. I want them to know that if anything were to happen, they have a person to reach out to. They want to know that they can contact you anytime there is a need.
This was several years ago, but one of my ophthalmologists texted me and asked if I had a moment. I said of course and she explained she had her technician call our office, but the tech felt like she wasn’t getting the answers she needed. So, the doctor just reached out to me. She said she knew she could just talk to me and get an answer immediately and we were able to get it all worked out. That’s the kind of relationship I try to build, with doctors knowing they can reach out at any time and feel comfortable communicating with me, regardless of what the issue is.
It’s about reachability. Patients need medication right away, so they need answers right away. They know they can call and talk to our customer service team, and very rarely do they need to reach out to us directly, but having that direct line is reassuring.
Obviously, you cover a lot of territories and customers can find you at a lot of shows. Where will you be kicking off 2023?
This year is going to be crazy! I know we’re doing VMX, we’re going to the Western Veterinary Conference (WVC), and then a big one for us is going to be the mid-year combined oncology meeting by the Veterinary Cancer Society and The Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology (VSSO) in April.
The Fall is always packed with the Veterinary Cancer Society show, ACVO ophthalmology meeting, and New York Vet in November. We wrapped up 2022 at Fetch San Diego in December last year. I’m sure this year will look similar.
Thanks, Branson!
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The Stokes & Bova Partnership: Transforming Veterinary Medicine
Our sister division, Stokes Pharmacy, and the Bova Group have almost parallel stories—pharmacies with retail roots that expanded into compounding to better serve a larger audience with the highest quality medications possible. Both organizations have made a significant impact in the countries they serve—Stokes in the US and Bova in Australia and the United Kingdom—and they’ve both raised the bar for quality of care in veterinary medicine. In the Spring of 2024, the two organizations announced they were partnering to bring life-saving treatment for cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) to the United States. Since the announcement and the availability of the treatment, GS-441524, Stokes Pharmacy has successfully treated thousands of patients. The partnership didn’t end with the rollout of GS-441524. Soon, we will be announcing the availability of Omeprazole Injection for horses—a first in the United States and made possible through our collaboration with Bova Group. Together, our groups are changing the lives of pet owners and veterinarians alike. We are excited to work hand-in-hand with a group that is as dedicated to transforming veterinary care as Stokes Healthcare is. Brett Davidson, former Bova National Sales Manager in Australia and new Stokes Healthcare (Stokes and Epicur) National Equine Sales Manager, shares his unique insider’s perspective on how the two organizations are changing the landscape of veterinary medicine. Brett, tell us about your previous work at Bova and a brief background about the company. So, I worked at Bova for 16 years in Australia. I launched the expansion of the company with Nick Bova, the owner, so you could say I was employee number one, I suppose. Nick took over in 2008 after finishing his pharmacy degree. I started the same year, and we built the business in Australia from there. And then in 2017, Nick went to the UK and started that office, focusing on specialty medications for UK veterinarians. Emma Jones, Sales Director for Bova UK, was one of the first ones to help him there. And now, Bova has grown to what it is today. Because I knew the company so well, I was a jack of all trades, but my main role was organizing my sales team and our customer relationships. I worked with a lot of corporate accounts, buying groups, larger hospitals, and specialty centers. I supported my team however was most valuable to make sure we keep our clients. And now you’ve joined the Stokes Healthcare team! Tell us how that move came about and your new role. It’s great here, and I’m thrilled to be part of the team. The story of how it all happened isn’t particularly exciting, ha! I noticed that Stokes Healthcare was advertising for an Equine Sales Account Manager, so I reached out to Michael Tursi to discuss the role and his vision for it. True to form, Michael was very open and accommodating, making it easy to have an honest conversation about the opportunity. Given my experience with some of the equine products that Epicur and Stokes are launching, I’m hopeful that I can help the team break into the equine market here in the U.S. I’m really enjoying this new challenge, learning a lot, and having a great time working alongside such a dedicated team. Back to your start at Bova and the expansion – what was the vision for expanding Bova into compounding and the veterinary market? Bova chemists had been around for years, with Nick’s dad starting the business in 1968. In Australia, a pharmacy can only be owned by a pharmacist, it can’t be owned by a group or corporate, so Nick took over the retail pharmacy after graduating from university and Bova started compounding at the same time. At first, it wasn’t specifically for veterinary medicine, we were just doing compounding for human medicine, but we had a lot of the big box retail pharmacies starting to take over. They would buy a number of pharmacies in different locations, and then reduce their margins considerably. Being that Bova was an independent, we would have had to compete with these larger corporate types of pharmacies that are known for cutting prices. So, instead of trying to compete on a retail pharmacy level, Nick explored what else might be available. That’s when he came across compounding and decided that would be the direction he’d prefer to go in rather than trying to compete on price. What sets Bova apart from other compounders? In Australia, Bova built its foundations on the quality of what they do and innovation. To be honest, they are the only compounder in Australia that has continued to release new products for the veterinary industry. So, whether it’s a long-acting injection or a combination of medications for behavior or anxiety, Bova has always been first to the market with a new product. Competitors will usually follow after a year or two and release the same products. Bova is always trying to find new ways to help treat veterinary patients, that’s how they’ve really built a reputation for innovation. I think the GS tablets are a perfect example of that. We were the only ones in the world, for a long time, that had that product, and we worked with a lot of international KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) to get it right and release it. It was amazing to be a part of. And then, in Australia, it’s a differentiator how we focus a lot on quality. There are no kind of regulatory agencies actively monitoring pharmacies with compounding as much as they do in the US or the UK. Obviously, you still have the pharmacy councils and boards, but there’s no system in place where pharmacies or pharmacists can acquire certain licenses or approvals, like 503A or 503B in the US, to make certain products their facilities don’t have. At Bova, we implemented our own kind of quality assurance program based on GMP guidelines, or good manufacturing practices, which is the same as the pharmaceutical standard that Epicur has to reach.
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Advancements in Compounding – A Commitment to Integrity and Quality
The following blog is written by Epicur Pharma’s Advisory Council member Jamie Rauscher, LVT. Jamie is the current president of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America, vice president of the Georgia Veterinary Technician & Assistant Association, and part owner and medical manager of the Animal Hospital of Towne Lake. Below, Jamie shares her perspective on the advancements in compounding based on her visit to the Stokes Healthcare facility. From Jamie Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Stokes Healthcare, the parent company of Stokes Pharmacy and Epicur Pharma in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. My tour of their facility was not what I had expected. I was blown away by what I saw. As a new member of the Stokes/Epicur Advisory Council, I initially sat down and had a get-to-know-you and update session with the Director of Marketing and one of the owners of the company. We talked about new things to come into their world from a pharmacy point of view and the things that they had worked on that they had been successful with in the past. The Complexities of Laws and Regulations around Compounding We also discussed updated pharmacy regulations regarding compounding laws. Part of our conversation centered around new compounded medications, like the FIP treatment, Bova GS-441524, and the impact they will have on our profession. There is a lot of misinformation out there, especially because the black market has made those desperate for a solution compromise their best judgment and purchase medications from companies with NO regulations. There finally is a viable treatment in the United States and Stokes’ partnership with BOVA made it happen. Treatment for FIP is now Available! Learn more about the life-saving medication and order today! Bova GS-441524 A Seat at the Table as a Technician Being asked for my input along with being recognized for my knowledge base and expertise as a technician was refreshing and appreciated. Technicians spend a large portion of their time communicating with owners about the medications that have been prescribed and the best way to obtain and administer them. Creativity is the key more often than not. When touring their compounding facilities, being able to see the behind-the-scenes part of their process was eye-opening. The protocols that are put in place for sterility and quality control are amazing. Being able to see these things in person gave me a whole new respect for their compounding pharmacies. The size of their businesses, their growth history, and their continued focus on integrity and quality make me hopeful for our profession. Explore our 503B Facility! Training Equipment Facility Testing Quality Control And More! Witnessing these things in person also allowed me to get a better sense of how the company works and will let me continue to grow in my partnership with the Epicur/Stokes family. I am a proud supporter! Thank you for sharing these insights, Jamie! More Resources New USP Guidelines: What Changes Impact My Veterinarian Practice? 3 Reasons You Should Make the Switch to a 503B Pharmacy Partner 503A or 503B—Knowing When to Order from Each One
