19th November 2012, Cairo, Egypt:

Ceva Santé Animale today launched Vectormune® AI, a vaccine for poultry against Avian Influenza following license approval from the USDA in April 2012. Ceva expects to launch in several countries where Avian Influenza is endemic over the coming months.

The vaccine is suitable for broilers, layers and breeders. It has been developed using contemporary science and novel technology which has been applied to a 50 year old proven vaccine, a frozen Marek‟s vaccine (HVT). The science developed has managed to by-pass Maternally Derived Antibodies which prevent day-old chicks from taking up vaccines and securing immunity to strains of AI at an early age. Moreover, the application of the vaccine within the controlled environment of a hatchery when the chick is one day old, means that chicks are protected earlier in their lives, are at significantly less risk of infection during their lives and will live, healthily and productively to provide safe proteins (eggs and meat) to consumers.

Vectormune® AI‟s protection has been evaluated against different strains of the AI virus (H5N1), isolated from around the world belonging to different clades (categories of strains) of this rapidly spreading and fast mutating virus. It efficacy is well proven ensuring a survival rate of between 80 and 100% of flocks within the test, no matter the provenance of the AI strain. Once vaccinated the vaccine remains in the chick.

Avian Influenza remains a major threat to the global poultry industry. Amongst the different strains of this mobile and fast changing virus, the H5 and H7 strains carry the highest risk to birds. The spread of these strains of virus are inducing high levels of mortality in infected birds and there is a risk of the virus „jumping‟ to humans and affecting human health. Governments of producing and importing nations are seeking a powerful and effective vaccine which has the capacity to reduce mortality within a flock to ensure that commercial chickens are healthy and that their protein (eggs/meat) is safe to eat.

Speaking at the launch of the product, attended by over 300 representatives of the Egyptian poultry industry and leading figures from the Animal Health Services Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Ceva CEO Marc Prikazsky said:“Avian Influenza threatens the livelihood of millions of poultry producers and deprives communities of an important source of animal protein. The disease is also zoonotic and therefore directly threatens the human population living close to affected birds. Our innovative vaccine Vectormune® AI is a real scientific breakthrough and marks the first step towards potentially eradicating this disease and improving the lives and livelihoods of millions of people world-wide.”

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