Harrisvaccines gets first OK for its avian flu vaccine
BUSINESS RECORD STAFF Sep 21, 2015 | 8:14 pm
1 min read time
301 wordsAll Latest News, Health and WellnessAmes-based vaccine producer Harrisvaccines Inc. today announced it has been granted U.S. Department of Agriculture conditional licensure of the company’s Avian Influenza Vaccine, RNA. This is the first conditional license for highly pathogenic avian influenza granted since the outbreak began earlier this year.
Harrisvaccines said in a release that its SirraVax technology allows for the vaccine to be easily updated to match current and future strains of avian influenza.
The fast-moving, highly contagious disease has devastated producers across the nation this year. To date, nearly 50 million chickens and turkeys have been lost to this virus. In Iowa alone, avian influenza has affected 31 million birds.
“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 Harrisvaccines. “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.”
The approval is an important first step in implementing a vaccine strategy by the USDA, Harrisvaccines officials said. Initially, however, producers will have to wait for USDA authorization before acquiring the vaccine. The USDA has called for a solicitation to create a vaccine stockpile for H5 avian influenza for the fall; Harrisvaccines is currently pursuing this opportunity.
“The threat posed by avian influenza is extraordinary to both producers and consumers,” said Hank Harris, founder and CEO of Harrisvaccines. “Getting a vaccine in the field that matches 100 percent to the H5N2 strain is crucial to ongoing containment efforts. This vaccine is also compatible with diagnostic tests that can differentiate infected from vaccinated birds. This makes our vaccine an important tool for eradication efforts and may alleviate any concerns with trading partners abroad.”
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