USDA avian influenza response may include vaccine
September 22, 2015 |12:01 AM
The Agriculture Department’s plan to deal with avian influenza if it reoccurs this fall includes conditional licensing of a vaccine developed by Harrisvaccines, the Iowa company announced Monday.
This is the first USDA conditional license granted for an avian influenza vaccine using the company’s rapid response SirraVax technology, but producers will still have to wait for USDA authorization before acquiring it, the company noted in a news release.
The USDA has called for a solicitation to create a vaccine stockpile against H5 avian influenza for the fall, the company noted.
“The creation, testing, and regulatory approval of the vaccine was a real joint effort by the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service, the Center for Veterinary Biologics, and Harrisvaccines,” said Mark Mogler, head of research and development at the company.
“The ARS’ Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory provided both the gene needed to prepare the vaccine at Harrisvaccines and the proper facilities for efficacy testing in chickens,” he said.
“When H5 was confirmed in the spring of this year, our team immediately applied our rapid response technology to bring a solution to Iowa and Midwest poultry and egg producers,” said Joel Harris, vice president of Harrisvaccines.
“Although we cannot sell the vaccine today, we are in a better position to apply this robust and rapidly produced vaccine, if and when the virus reemerges once again.”
In a news release, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said its goals are:
This is the first USDA conditional license granted for an avian influenza vaccine using the company’s rapid response SirraVax technology, but producers will still have to wait for USDA authorization before acquiring it, the company noted in a news release.
The USDA has called for a solicitation to create a vaccine stockpile against H5 avian influenza for the fall, the company noted.
“The creation, testing, and regulatory approval of the vaccine was a real joint effort by the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service, the Center for Veterinary Biologics, and Harrisvaccines,” said Mark Mogler, head of research and development at the company.
“The ARS’ Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory provided both the gene needed to prepare the vaccine at Harrisvaccines and the proper facilities for efficacy testing in chickens,” he said.
“When H5 was confirmed in the spring of this year, our team immediately applied our rapid response technology to bring a solution to Iowa and Midwest poultry and egg producers,” said Joel Harris, vice president of Harrisvaccines.
“Although we cannot sell the vaccine today, we are in a better position to apply this robust and rapidly produced vaccine, if and when the virus reemerges once again.”
In a news release, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said its goals are:
- Preventing or reducing outbreaks.
- Enhancing preparedness
- Improving and streamlining response capabilities.
- Preparing for the potential use of AI [avian influenza] vaccines.
