June 18, 2014
 

Harrisvaccines receives USDA license for PEDv vaccine

US-based vaccine producer, Harrisvaccines, has been granted the USDA's conditional licensure of the company's Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) vaccine.

Known as RNA, the vaccine utilises Harrisvaccines' SirraVaxSM RNA Particle Technology.

This is the first USDA conditional license granted for a PEDv vaccine since the initial outbreak, and it will allow Harrisvaccines to sell their vaccine directly to the veterinarians and swine producers battling PEDv. 

PEDv is a highly contagious swine disease that entered the US in April 2013.  It causes vomiting and diarrhea in older animals and extreme dehydration and mortality of up to 100% in piglets which are less than one week of age.  The disease has spread to nearly 30 states and throughout North America, causing the death of millions of piglets and hundreds of millions of dollars losses for the pork industry.

"Using our unique rapid-response production methods, we were able to create a vaccine in a matter of weeks after the outbreak," says Joel Harris, the head of sales and marketing for Harrisvaccines.  "Since late 2013, we have sold nearly two million doses of this vaccine through veterinary prescription."  

The USDA generally grants conditional licenses in order to meet an emergency or unmet demand. A conditionally licensed product must show a reasonable expectation of efficacy along with safety and purity requirements.  Harrisvaccines has also received USDA licensure in the past for its Swine Influenza vaccine and Autogenous Vaccine for Rotavirus C.