December 29, 2022
Indian firm to develop inactivated influenza vaccine for poultry
Indian company Hester Biosciences is set to develop and commercialise a low pathogenic avian influenza (H9N2 strain) inactivated vaccine for poultry, The Hindu reported.
The animal healthcare company has signed an agreement with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), to acquire the indigenously-developed technology for the development of the vaccine.
In order to transfer technology for the production of vaccines for the veterinary industry, Agrinnovate, a government organisation, acted as a bridge between ICAR and the stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
Agrinovate said the locally developed vaccine passed the sterility, safety, and efficacy testing in laboratory-based experimental trials. Additionally, it stated that the vaccine gives chickens a 6 month-long protective immunity.
Hester intends to introduce this vaccine by the end of 2023, once the necessary field studies have been completed and regulatory approvals have been obtained. In the presence of Himanshu Pathak, Director General (DG), ICAR, Praveen Malik, CEO, Aniket Sanyal, Director, NIHSAD, Rajiv Gandhi, CEO & managing director of Hester, and other senior officials, the agreement was signed on December 27, 2022, at the office of Agrinnovate India in New Delhi.
With the development of this H9N2 vaccine for poultry, Indian achieves its goal of becoming self-sufficient. Hester said this locally developed inactivated H9N2 vaccine for poultry is developed using a local isolate, which guarantees that the vaccine is made from the local strain and not by importing any exotic strain.
In addition to providing the vaccine within India, Hester intends to export this vaccine through its own distribution network to African and Asian nations where there is already a demand for this vaccine.
India's enormous poultry population is a major source of income for the country's rural areas. Despite frequent outbreaks across the nation, there was no vaccine for avian influenza available in India yet.
The Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza H9N2 Strain causes comorbidity in poultry flocks, resulting in massive economic losses for poultry farmers. The disease has a low mortality rate of up to 6% in general, but this can increase significantly in the presence of other infections. It may also result in an irreversible drop in egg production (up to 50%) in layer birds and a performance loss in broilers.
- The Hindu