January 27, 2010

Intervet/Schering-Plough's one-shot PCV2 vaccine receives EU nod

The European Commission has given Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health the marketing authorisation for a single-shot vaccination schedule of its Porcilis PCV vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections.

The new approval allows to vaccinate with one dose of 2ml in pigs from an age of three weeks onwards in case of low to medium levels of maternal antibodies against PCV2 and also to include reduction of mortality as additional indication.

This new single-shot application for the vaccine will add flexibility in use to the currently available dosage scheme of this vaccine that has been available in Europe since April 2009.

The vaccine contains the Cap-2 subunit antigen coded by ORF2 and therefore induces strong immunity against PCV2 infection. It is combined with XSolve, an adjuvant offering immunity until the end of the finishing period, and is able to break through of all levels of maternally-derived antibodies in piglets depending on the vaccination schedule used.
 

A single dose of the vaccine could induce both humoral and cell-mediated responses against PCV2, despite the presence of low to medium levels of maternal antibodies. According to a recent study published in Vaccine, the immunity induced by a single dose of the vaccine resulted in reductions of viremia, viral shedding and viral load in tissues in vaccinated pigs as compared to controls.
 

Field trials have also demonstrated that vaccination of pigs at three weeks of age or older reduces the presence of virus load in the blood and reduces weight loss associated with PCV2 infection during the fattening period.