October 30, 2006

Bird flu vaccine for waterfowls enters clinical trial in China

A new bird flu vaccine for waterfowls manufactured by Yangzhou's Vac Bio-tech Co. Ltd has been allowed for clinical trials after receiving approval from China's Ministry of Agriculture.

Vac Bio-tech Co. Ltd has been devoting extensive resources towards the development and manufacturing of bird flu vaccines. It has so far produced 14 types of live vaccines, all of which had been approved for production. The new vaccine was specially targeted at the highly pathogenic strain of bird flu. If approved, the vaccine would be the first targeted at waterfowls allowed in China and fill a current vacuum for the product in international markets.

The vaccine is expected to be marketed in 2007 if clinical trials prove successful. Its success would be a milestone in the development of vaccines for waterfowls, the company said.

Waterfowls have been the prime suspect in spreading bird flu due to their migratory patterns.