August 21, 2023

Phibro Animal Health seeks patent for African swine fever vaccine

Phibro Animal Health is actively pursuing a patent for its African swine fever (ASF) vaccine, as it aims to develop a specific epitope-based vaccine, instead of the conventional approach of an attenuated live vaccine, National Hog Farmer reported.

The company recently disclosed that its vaccine development initiative has progressed to the stage of identifying immunogenic epitopes and proteins that exhibit significant potential as the foundation for an ASF vaccine.

This critical identification process was carried out in collaboration with Phibro's research and development team, employing a distinctive bioinformatics analysis tool. The tool's role was to pinpoint the epitopes and proteins with the highest likelihood of eliciting a protective immune response.

By opting for an epitope-based vaccine creation approach, Phibro seeks not only to address the challenge posed by ASF but also to eliminate the risk of propagating the disease, a risk inherent in traditional attenuated live vaccines.

Jack Bendheim, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Phibro, highlighted the urgency of the ASF situation, particularly in the context of China's swine population. He said that ASF's decimation of China's swine population represents not just a crisis for the entire swine husbandry industry but, more importantly, a food security crisis for mankind.

Bendheim said the milestone achieved by Phibro's identification of crucial peptides and proteins is a pivotal step in their pursuit of a comprehensive solution against ASF.

-      National Hog Farmer