The Bureau of Animal Industry in Philippines has recommended to the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Vietnam-manufactured Avac vaccine against African Swine Fever.
In a press conference on Friday, BAI Assistant Director Dr. Arlyn Asteria Vytiaco said they have submitted their letter of recommendation for approval of the FDA after proving its safety and efficacy in clinical trials conducted in 6 farms across Luzon.
BAI said that clinical trials showed an increased level of antibodies against ASF in all of the samples used in the trial.
Avac needs a certificate of product registration before it could be allowed entry as an import.
“Napakalaking tulong ng bakuna na to sa pagcontrol ng ASF kasi alam natin na patuloy ang pagkalat, maraming swine stakeholder ang naghihintay nito,” she said.
(This vaccine is a big help in controlling ASF since the disease is still spreading. Many swine breeders are waiting for this)
Once approved, the BAI will be importing at least 600,000 doses from the vaccine manufacturer in Vietnam.
The “Avac” vaccine is a single-shot vaccine for hogs aged 4-10 weeks.
The guidelines for the rollout of the vaccine are expected to be released once the FDA issues a Certificate of Product Registration.
Vytiaco said it will not be mandatory, but they will encourage hog raisers to avail of it once the vaccine is commercially available.
Pricing details have yet to be released but the Department of Agriculture assured hog raisers that they would try to make it as accessible even to small backyard raisers.
“Titiyakin namin na affordable ito sa mga magbababoy (we will ensure that this is affordable to hog raisers),” said DA Deputy Spokesperson Rex Estoperez.
Meanwhile, the FDA said it would evaluate the vaccine’s efficacy soon.
“The FDA just received the application this morning and shall be subjected to pre-assessment. If acceptable, the FDA shall facilitate the evaluation of the submitted dossier to determine the quality, safety and efficacy of the ASF vaccine,” said Atty. Job Aguzar, FDA Spokesperson.
According to government data, some 15 provinces in the country still have active ASF cases.
