Argentina's top vaccine manufacturer shares strategy for eradicating foot-and-mouth disease

As one of the leading suppliers of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines to many developed countries worldwide, including Vietnam, Mr. Facundo Romero, can you share your strategies for preventing and controlling foot-and-mouth disease in some countries where Biogénesis Bagó Argentina distributes its products? In your opinion, what is the most effective model for the company?

At Biogénesis Bagó, we have over 70 years of research, development, production, and global supply of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines. With this experience, we have become the market leader worldwide in foot-and-mouth disease vaccine production.

Based on our experience, I can say that there are at least two different strategies for preventing and eradicating foot-and-mouth disease.

The first strategy can be applied to countries where foot-and-mouth disease is prevalent. Accordingly, they must focus on disease prevention through the use of high-quality vaccines.

On the other hand, for countries free of the foot-and-mouth disease, with or without the help of vaccines, it is crucial to be prepared to deal with the introduction of the foot-and-mouth disease virus by stockpiling antigens and establishing a Vaccine Bank.

Biogénesis Bagó is the only company in the world that can provide comprehensive solutions, including high-quality and world-class foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, antigen reserve banking services, and foot-and-mouth disease vaccine technology transfer agencies.

We have different experiences to share with Vietnam. For example, our experience in Argentina.

In 1999, Argentina was declared free of foot-and-mouth disease and vaccination was not required. At the time, Biogénesis Bagó was the provider of antigen reserve banking and foot-and-mouth disease vaccines for Argentina.

In 2000, Argentina experienced an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, and Biogénesis Bagó, as the provider, participated in disease prevention by supplying 120 million doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine.

In just 11 months, we controlled the outbreaks, and Argentina regained its status as a foot-and-mouth disease-free nation with vaccination.

Subsequently, Biogénesis Bagó has consistently been the market leader in foot-and-mouth disease vaccines in Argentina, with over 80% market share.

Another successful case is in Taiwan, China, where we have been the main supplier of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines since an outbreak in 1997.

By 2018, Taiwan was recognized as a foot-and-mouth disease-free nation without vaccination.

These are the commitments and methods that we have implemented for the prevention, control, and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease.

As a highly regarded supplier of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines in Vietnam, can you elaborate on the outstanding features of the Aftogen Oleo O1 Campos vaccine from Biogénesis Bagó Argentina that enable it to provide protection against all 4 topotypes of foot-and-mouth disease currently circulating in Vietnam?

Biogénesis Bagó's vaccine undergoes over 1,000 quality control inspections throughout its entire production process, from raw material to the final product.

This is why our vaccine is safe, stable, and can be used on all sensitive subjects at every stage of animal production and reproduction.

With the high purity antigens and an exclusive oil emulsion formula in the product, we deliver a high-quality vaccine with high efficacy, rapid, and prolonged immune response, allowing farmers to use the vaccine across various strategic programs, with varying optimal vaccination schedules for each farm. This is a key point.

In terms of cross-protection capacity, both of our vaccine types have extensive cross-protection capacities. We collaborate with the Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease at the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) each year to confirm the effectiveness of our vaccines against the latest field virus strains isolated from around the world.

For example, during last year's outbreak in Indonesia, our vaccine achieved the highest neutralizing antibody titers in the VNT test, thus confirming that our vaccine can protect Indonesian farmers from the foot-and-mouth disease. This is also a very important point.

Mr. Facundo Romero, based on the updated state of virus circulation over the past three years provided by the Department of Animal Health, the foot-and-mouth disease virus in Vietnam is currently detected as serotype O, with the topotype/lineage viruses including: CATHAY, SEA/Mya-98, ME-SA\PanAsia, and ME-SA\Ind-2001. However, foot-and-mouth disease virus is prone to new mutations. How does Biogenesis Bago Argentina update and improve its vaccines to meet Vietnam's disease prevention needs?

According to the latest report, the current strain of foot-and-mouth disease virus posing a high risk to Vietnam and the region in Pool 1 is O/ME-SA/Ind2001. This is the virus strain currently circulating in Vietnam and is also the strain that caused outbreaks in Indonesia at the end of 2022 and in South Korea in 2023.

At Biogénesis Bagó, we have a long history of producing foot-and-mouth disease vaccines over the past 70 years. We are committed to investing in research and development, collaborating with research institutes, universities, and governments worldwide to explore and develop innovative vaccine technologies in anticipation of new challenges in animal health.

As mentioned earlier, we frequently validate our vaccines at the WOAH/OIE Reference Laboratory, and assess their cross-protection capacities against the latest field strains circulating worldwide. This ensures farmers that Biogénesis Bagó's vaccines can protect their livestock.

As a country with an extensive land border and a complex situation of livestock smuggling, can you share the challenges faced by Vietnam in eradicating foot-and-mouth disease?

Controlling and eradicating foot-and-mouth disease is always a significant challenge for countries with the disease in circulation, and it is also a top priority for Biogénesis Bagó.

We provide disease control and eradication solutions globally, sharing successful experiences in various regions or countries.

So, I think the first step is to emphasize the commitment and determination to control and eradicate the disease within a country or region.

The second crucial element is the commitment of all stakeholders to participate in the program, detailing the program, determining the roadmap with different stages and key milestones, and implementing all corresponding actions. This is very, very important.

The third element of a successful program is the selection of the correct type of vaccine because it is our most important partner in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease.

In that regard, I confidently can say that Aftogen Oleo and Bioaftogen meet all the necessary requirements to effectively combat foot-and-mouth disease.

I hope that we can continue to participate in the control and eradication program of foot-and-mouth disease in Vietnam as a partner, a friend, and provide suitable solutions for this issue.

Thank you!

Biogénesis Bagó is a biotechnology company specializing in animal health in Argentina. The company is currently among the top leaders globally in the production and commercialization of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, offering effective solutions tailored to major livestock regions worldwide, contributing to the production of safe food. Biogénesis Bagó's products are present in over 40 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.