First Bluetongue Vaccine on Verge of Approval
UK - The first vaccine able to protect livestock from the BTV8 strain of the bluetongue virus is on the verge of receiving official authorisation.The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is set to announce soon, possibly as early as next week, that it has granted a provisional licence for Intervet’s BTV8 vaccine.
The approval, when confirmed, will be of huge significance to livestock farmers as it paves the way for the first deliveries of the vaccine to veterinary practises in May.
This has been the target for Intervet ever since it won the tender to supply 22.5 million doses of the vaccine to the Government this year.
Intervet product manager Ian Anderson said the announcement was expected ‘very soon’ but could not comment on details of the product or when the first doses would be available until the licence had been granted.
Source: FarmersGuardian