Our History
Equi-Tox® Pharmaceutical Research & Development was established in 1995 by Dee L. Cross, M.S., Ph.D., a Professor Emeritus of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University. Equi-Tox® is a research-driven pharmaceutical company which discovers and develops innovative products to improve animal and human health, directly and through partnerships.
In the early 1990's Dr. Cross began searching for ways to alleviate the intense pain and suffering of fescue toxicosis in horses, cattle, and other animals grazing endophyte-infected fescue. After conducting studies with selenium supplementation, and diluting the effects of toxic fescue with grain, Dr. Cross conducted a series of elegant experiments to determine the root cause of fescue toxicosis. Dr. Cross discovered that fescue toxicosis was caused by mycotoxins (produced by the fungal endophyte living in endophyte-infected fescue) acting as D-2 dopamine receptor agonists. A new series of experiments was conducted with domperidone, a drug that acts as a D-2 dopamine receptor antagonist. Dr. Cross' research with domperidone has proven to be a blessing to thousands of horse owners around the world, saving mares and foals from needlessly suffering the tragic effects of fescue toxicosis.
Our Mission
The mission of Equi-Tox®, Inc. is to develop superior products and services using our current technology and expertise as a platform. We develop innovations and solutions that educate, prevent, detect, diagnose, treat, and cure.
Our Values
Our products and services must demonstrate our success by achieving these goals:
- Our products must preserve and improve life.
- We are responsible for those we serve, employ, and live with.
- Our actions must always reflect the highest professional and ethical standards.
The heart of our business is to serve, and we serve by identifying ways to preserve and improve life, using our technology and expertise to develop products, and reinvesting our profits to benefit those we serve, those we employ, and those we live with.