October 16, 2020

Eco Animal Health enters two swine vaccine partnerships

The AIM-traded company on the London Stock Exchange said the two worldwide, exclusive partnerships with the Pirbright Institute and the Vaccine Group (TVG) in the United Kingdom reinforced its commitment to research and development focussed on diseases of economic importance in swine and poultry, ShareCast reported.

It said the first partnership would over an 18-month period use technologies at Pirbright to develop killed porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vaccine candidates suitable for a full development programme, and providing immunity against multiple virus strains.

A killed PRRSV vaccine would offer an "attractive alternative" to the current generation of live vaccines which were only partially effective against different strains and suffered from safety constraints due to the possibility of the live vaccine virus reverting to its infectious form.

The second collaboration would test vaccine candidates at Pirbright, created using TVG technology, to insert non-infectious PRRSV genes supplied by Pirbright into a benign herpesvirus, which would then stimulate the immune system when delivered into animals.

Vaccines based on herpesviruses have been shown to lead to "particularly strong" reactions from T-cells, which are an important part of the antiviral response.

Eco Animal Health said the two PRRSV species, being type-1 and type-2, were responsible for one of the most economically damaging diseases to the worldwide swine industry, costing European swine farmers about €1.5 billion (~US$1.76 billion; €1 = US$1.17) a year, and those in the United States about US$600 million.

"We are delighted to have partnered with The Pirbright Institute once again to develop novel vaccines, enabling the protection of pigs whilst reducing the risks associated with the use of live vaccines for a disease of global economic importance," says chief executive officer Marc Loomes.