March 12, 2008

Fort Dodge on target to produce bluetongue vaccine

Fort Dodge Animal Health has submitted a dossier on its Bluetongue Vaccine 8 (BTV8) for Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) review which will put the company on target to offer the vaccine by May. 

The company is already supplying bluetongue vaccine to France and Spain, and has stepped up BTV8 production at its Dutch plant in Weesp, and Sligo, Ireland.

Fort Dodge targets product availability to reach 5 million doses by May.

It plans to offer species specific products, with its cattle vaccine to have a higher antigen load needed to protect cattle.

There is also a separate vaccine for sheep which will enable flock dosing programme booster vaccinations to be more cost effective.

In addition, the Fort Dodge BTV8 vaccine is anticipated to not only provide protection from the disease but also block viraemia in sheep, a critical feature in arresting virus transmission.

Fort Dodge Animal Health's vet, David Bartram, said the UK livestock industry is becoming increasingly aware that the 22.5 million doses of vaccine already ordered by Defra may not be in sufficient quantity or delivered in sufficient time to cover the 80 percent of cattle and sheep required for a control strategy.

Bartram added that the company's plants are at the forefront of BTV8 development and can produce a highly effective product.