When their 11-year-old dog Sasha began to show signs of lameness after exercise, Dan and Corina
Bright went looking for solutions. They were already in the human health industry and had sufficient
knowledge to question why veterinarians did not have a scientifically proven natural joint health
treatment that could be taken long-term without side effects.
The challenge to find comfort for their dog ultimately led to the development in 2000 of the
Sashas™ range of veterinary products and of their now globally successful, Ballarat based
Australian company Interpath Pty Ltd. The company has both medical and veterinary health
divisions and is an industry leader specialising in scientific research and development for the
prevention and treatment of inflammatory disorders in humans and animals. Interpath now exports
to 22 countries and continues research in Australian and overseas universities and facilities.
“We recently completed a Pioneer Program for Innovators funded by the Victorian State
Government and were impressed with the depth of the program and the level of expertise of the
Pyksis team who delivered the program. They went out of their way to find and introduce us to
leading industry personnel and knowledge. Both Pyksis and the State Government should be
commended for their commitment to support regional innovators wanting to improve their
outcomes,” said Dan Bright. “It is one of the best things we’ve ever done for our business. I could
not endorse it and the people involved enough.”
Currently Interpath directly employs 7 people and is set for growth as it tackles a global market for
inflammatory treatments worth an estimated A$105 Billion and growing at a phenomenal rate, with
aging world populations and a greater emphasis on pet and animal health.
Pyksis Director of Learning Services, John Hemphill says, “Interpath was well advanced on its
commercialisation pathway and we could recognise where we might make successful interventions
to accelerate and enhance that process. We have been able to achieve that by introducing
Interpath to our companion program, Mentoring for Commercialisation Funding (MCF), which caters
for early stage commercialisation. This is another State government initiative that is delivering
tangible results for regional companies.
The Pioneer Program mixes group and intensive 1:1 learning and culminates with the presentation
of business cases to an Expert Panel that advises participants on their likelihood of subsequent
success. The 13 businesses that completed the Pioneer Program with Interpath forecast
aggregated Year Three sales of more than $100m. “While it is not expected that all companies will
achieve their targets, it represents impressive opportunities for new job creation,” John Hemphill
says.
The complementary MCF Program enables qualifying companies to take those next important steps
in making their innovations a commercial reality. And this is what Interpath is now doing.
Entry to the Regional Technology Commercialisation Program and the Mentoring for
Commercialisation Program are subject to assessment of each candidate’s needs. Applications can
be made through local Regional Development Victoria Offices. For further information see
www.pyksis.com Home Page, Quicklinks, RTCP and MCF.