CHICAGO, April 14 (Reuters) – The United States government is testing four potential poultry vaccines against bird flu, authorities said on Friday, after more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other birds died in the worst outbreak in the country’s history.
The trials, conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, are the first step in a long process toward the potential first use of vaccines to protect US poultry. of the deadly virus.
Bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the world, sparking interest in vaccines. The virus is spread largely by wild birds that transmit it to poultry.
The USDA is testing a vaccine from Zoetis Inc, another from Merck Animal Health, and two developed by the department’s Agricultural Research Service.
Zoetis said it previously supplied its vaccine to a USDA stockpile in 2016, after a massive outbreak in 2015, but it was never used.
Initial data from a study using a single dose of a vaccine is expected in May, while results from studies on two-dose vaccine regimens are due in June, the USDA said.
If the trials are successful and the USDA decides to continue development, it would take at least 18 to 24 months for a vaccine equivalent to the current virus to be commercially available, according to the agency.
The government must ensure that vaccinations do not disrupt trade with major buyers, said Greg Tyler, president of industry group USA Poultry & Egg Export Council.
France declared last week that it would launch an order for 80 million doses of vaccine to be used in ducks in the autumn if the final results of the trials were positive, the first EU member to initiate such a plan. (Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing in Spanish by Aida Peláez-Fernández)
Source: Ambito
