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US gives conditional nod to Zoetis' bird flu vaccine for poultry

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  • US gives conditional nod to Zoetis' bird flu vaccine for poultry

    US gives conditional nod to Zoetis' bird flu vaccine for poultry

    By Reuters
    February 14, 20255:27 PM CSTUpdated 18 hours ago

    Feb 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given a conditional approval to Zoetis (ZTS.N) to use its bird flu vaccine in poultry, the animal healthcare company said on Friday.

    Bird flu has infected nearly 70 people in the United States, with one death, since last April. Most of those infections have been among farm workers exposed to infected poultry or cows.
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    Company press release:


    Zoetis Receives Conditional License from USDA for Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus, for Chickens

    02/14/2025

    PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Zoetis today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) has issued the company a conditional license for its Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus. The vaccine is labelled for use in chickens. The conditional license was granted on the demonstration of safety, purity, and reasonable expectation of efficacy based on serology data.

    Zoetis is committed to supporting poultry producers with scientific solutions for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The decision to vaccinate commercial poultry flocks against HPAI rests solely with national regulatory authorities in partnership with the poultry industry.

    According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), more than 150 million birds in the U.S. have been affected with HPAI since February 2022, including in backyard and commercial flocks. A conditional license is used to meet an emergency condition, limited market, local situation or other special circumstance and is issued for a finite period of time. Conditional licenses may be renewed at the discretion of the CVB.

    “When a new strain of HPAI was identified in the U.S. in early 2022, our scientists immediately began work to update our previous avian influenza vaccine,” said Mahesh Kumar, Ph.D., senior vice president, global biologics research and development at Zoetis. “We first worked on HPAI vaccines in 2001-02 when outbreaks occurred in flocks in Southeast Asia. Our readiness with this most recent vaccine is another example of how we continue to live our purpose to nurture the world and humankind by advancing care for animals, ultimately providing solutions to global animal health challenges.”

    Zoetis has a long history of developing vaccines to address avian influenza in multiple countries. In 2016, the company received a conditional license for its H5N1 vaccine and a contract award for the USDA’s National Veterinary Stockpile; this same vaccine was first used by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2023 to help protect California condors. Zoetis also holds a USDA license for POULVAC® FLUFEND™ i AI H5N3 RG which has been available in smaller markets outside the U.S. and was used to help protect endangered birds in New Zealand in 2024.

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  • #2
    US egg farmers worry fight against bird flu is unwinnable as experts consider vaccinations: ‘I call this virus a terrorist’

    By Katherine Donlevy
    Published Feb. 15, 2025, 1:10 p.m. ET
    ...
    “The last six months have accelerated my concern, which was already high,” Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician and founding director of Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, told the outlet.
    ...
    Bhadelia pointed to chicken vaccinations as a strong alternative — especially now that there’s an urgent need to focus on reducing the risk to humans of getting infected in the first place.
    ...
    The World Organization for Animal Health urged nations to consider vaccination in 2023, but some experts worry that the inoculations would only mask infections and make it easier to bring the virus across borders — costing billions of dollars in international trade deals.

    But with flocks down by millions and the disease spreading, the cost is irrelevant, said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board, adding that it’s clear biosecurity is not doing the job.

    “We’re desperate, and we need every possible tool,” she said.

    “And right now, we’re fighting this virus with at least one, if not two, arms tied behind our back. And the vaccine can be a huge hammer in our toolbox.”
    ...



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    See also:

    WOAH’s Animal Health Forum reshapes avian influenza prevention and control strategies (June 7, 2023)
    Press Release WOAH’s Animal Health Forum reshapes avian influenza prevention and control strategies Published on 7 June 2023 In light of the ongoing global avian influenza crisis, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) hosted its first Animal Health Forum, fully dedicated to the disease. The Forum served as a


    Avian influenza vaccination: why it should not be a barrier to safe trade
    https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/national-international-government-ngo-preparation-response/oie/983694-avian-influenza-vaccination-why-it-should-not-be-a-barrier-to-safe-trade-woah-december-28-2023​

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