April 5, 2006

PMWS vaccine makes its debut
 

Merial, a UK-based animal health company, has introduced a vaccine to prevent a disease that has been killing pigs in farms from New Zealand to Canada.

Merial's PCV2 vaccine Circovac is administered to sows and gilts, which will then pass on protection to their offspring.

The company decided to come up with a product vaccinating sows because the disease affects piglets very early in life. Very young piglets cannot be safely immunised as it may trigger the virus, according to Dr Francois Joisel, Merial's global technical services director.

Over 300,000 sows have been vaccinated in France and Germany and the results are said to be "particularly encouraging."

The vaccine has undergone ten years of research and is said to be particularly effective in controlled laboratory conditions provided maternal antibody levels are not too high.

The effectiveness of the vaccine has now been confirmed in field conditions with large numbers of gilts and sows.

The Canadian government has granted a special permit expediting the licensing process to allow its use in Canada immediately.

The company is reporting brisk sales of its product.