Concerns arise over prices of African Swine Fever vaccine

Effective solution for the protection of pig herds

After nearly three years of research involving a multitude of experiments and tests on animals, AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company has successfully produced the African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine by mid-2023.

The AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine is one of the first two African Swine Fever vaccines to be commercially available worldwide, and both of these products were researched and manufactured in Vietnam.

In an interview with a reporter from Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper, Mr. Le Viet The, owner of a pig breeding facility in Dan Phuong district, Hanoi city, reported that upon receiving the African Swine Fever vaccine, he conducted a trial vaccination for his entire pig herd, from 5-day-old piglets to sows. The vaccinated pigs exhibited healthy growth, and a high immune response rate at 95%.

"After the vaccination, my farm has not experienced any cases of African Swine Fever infection. At the beginning of 2023, AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company provided me with 3,000 doses of vaccines for my customers. I have not received any reports of vaccinated pigs showing signs of the disease, whereas there are multiple reports of outbreaks in unvaccinated areas," Mr. The reported.

According to Mr. Hoang Minh Dat, General Director of the Cao Bang province's Sub-Department of Livestock and Crop Production, there has been multiple reports of African Swine Fever outbreak across the province. When AVAC Vietnam successfully produced the ASF vaccine, the Sub-Department administered a trial vaccination of 200 doses, resulting in no adverse reactions observed in the pig herds.

Samples were taken from 10 pigs four weeks after the vaccination; 9 of which exhibited a reliable immune response. Cao Bang province recently allocated funds to purchase 20,000 doses of the vaccine to support local livestock farmers in preventive vaccinations scheduled for November 2023.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho, General Director of the Bac Ninh province's Sub-Department of Livestock Production, Animal Health and Fisheries, stated: "Prior to 2019, Bac Ninh province housed approximately 400,000 pigs. However, due to the African Swine Fever outbreak in 2019, 131,000 pigs were culled."

Following the issuance of Document No. 4870/BNN-TY by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the nationwide deployment of the African Swine Fever vaccination, Bac Ninh province implemented proactive measures in organizing meetings and issuing directives for vaccination procedures. Subsequently, the province has conducted pilot vaccinations in 31 livestock production households across 13 communes and wards, with the total number of vaccinated pigs amounting to nearly 600 heads.

"After vaccination, the state of local livestock production has seen great improvements. We collected 16 samples from a livestock production household twenty-five days after vaccination, and all of the samples tested positive for African Swine Fever antibodies. The Sub-Department will continue to evaluate the vaccination progress within the province. After we confirm the quality and effectiveness of antibody response, we will advise the province to implement policies supporting farmers in using this African Swine Fever vaccine for proactive disease prevention," stressed Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho.

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho, Bac Ninh province's local government advised livestock farmers to monitor their pig herds on a daily basis during the vaccination process to enhance their resistance. To date, the vaccinated pig herds have maintained stable health.

Urgent need to reduce prices of African Swine Fever vaccine

AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company, a member of the RTD Group, has remained at the forefront of the research and production of critical vaccines in Vietnam. Their products include vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, and blue-ear disease. Most recently, RTD invested approximately 20 million USD (or 450 billion Vietnamese dong) in the research and development of the AVAC ASF LIVE African Swine Fever vaccine.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Diep, CEO of AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company, by the end of October 2023, the company had exported 1.5 million doses of vaccines, with 300,000 doses shipped to the Philippines. AVAC Vietnam aims to distribute their vaccines through two primary channels: domestic distributors and local governments utilizing state budget support for small-scale livestock farmers.

In terms of the international market, the company has established connections with 10 countries, several of which have registered the product for circulation in their respective countries, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. It is anticipated that these countries will import approximately 10 million doses of AVAC's vaccine annually by 2024.

According to Mr. Diep, a single dose of the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine is currently priced at 60,000 Vietnamese dong in the domestic market. The company is working towards reducing this cost in the near future as the business recovers a portion of its investment.

In relation to the vaccine's selling price, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho stated that the province will support the purchase of vaccines for pig farmers. However, acquiring an adequate amount of vaccine at high costs would incur substantial expenses.

"Bac Ninh and many other provinces are greatly concerned about the current selling price of the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine. We suggest AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company to research and propose a more suitable price in the near future, thereby alleviating some of the financial burden on local budgets and livestock breeders.

On October 22, 2023, AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company signed cooperation agreements for export of AVAC ASF LIVE African Swine Fever vaccine with five partners, including: Kpp Power Commodities Inc from the Philippines, PT Putra Perkasa Genetika from Indonesia, Yenher Agro-Products Snd Bhd from Malaysia, Indian Immunologicals Ltd from India, and Earlybirds Delivery service limited from Myanmar.