Vietnam to introduce the first African Swine Fever vaccine

On April 17, former Minister of MARD Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, and officials from the Department of Animal Health reviewed AVAC Vietnam Company Limited's research and testing efforts ahead of the announcement of the African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine this April.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated that the phases of virus research, environmental, and manufacturing process are mostly complete; the research methods and legal documentation are also basically complete. In April 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Scientific Council will meet in two sessions to finalize this issue. Additionally, the Departments of Legal Affairs, International Cooperation, and Science, Technology, and Environment will coordinate with the Department of Animal Health and scientists to review the final stages before the announcement of the ASF vaccine by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

"When research is conducted carefully and in compliance with the law, we have great confidence. The issues regarding dose, timing, duration of immunity, and immunological response were all considered. All of these will serve as the practical and scientific foundation for announcing the ASF vaccine shortly "Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said.

ASF began in Vietnam in 2019, spreading to 63 provinces and cities within seven months, resulting in a loss of around VND 30,000 billion. During the outbreak, 6 million pigs were destroyed, resulting in a decrease in pork output; at times, pork prices reached above VND 100,000 per kg.

The lesson catalyzed three companies, AVAC Vietnam Company Limited, NAVETCO Central Veterinary Medicine Joint Stock Company, and Dabaco Vietnam Group, to invest significant resources in vaccine research, even though there is currently no ASF vaccine or drug available in the world.

AVAC Vietnam possesses the country's first veterinary manufacturing facility developed following the GMP-WHO standard. It has expertise in researching vaccines against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, hog cholera, and foot and mouth disease, and has established a tight partnership with the US Department of Agriculture to research an ASF vaccine.

AVAC Vietnam's solutions for ASF vaccine development include mastering cell and virus technology, importing vaccine strains from the United States, and working toward developing a line of macrophage-derived cells that are compatible with the ASF virus. On that basis, the firm conducts research and manufactures freeze-dried live attenuated vaccines for disease prevention.

AVAC Vietnam, which has a monthly manufacturing capacity of about 5 million vaccine doses, reported to the Department of Animal Health and tested the ASF vaccine on two farms with hundreds of pigs. When all pig herds injected with the vaccination were healthy, the outcomes were positive. In early April 2022, the business suggested testing the ASF vaccination on four farms with a capacity of 300 pigs per unit before reporting the results to the Department of Animal Health and MARD.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien outlined three elements that might accelerate the AVAC Company's completion of the vaccine study, including former Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong's attention and assistance, and global momentum in the absence of an ASF vaccine, and advanced technologies.

After examining and inspecting AVAC Vietnam's full production line, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development officials remarked that AVAC Vietnam has supplemented the survey on sow and piglet vaccination. Additionally, he expressed concerns about cleanliness and food safety, as well as the quality of pork products following vaccination.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also urged that AVAC Vietnam study and explore many areas of ASF vaccine manufacturing. Additionally, the corporation must consider intellectual property issues as well as a variety of possible circumstances while implementing vaccinations in practice.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also recommended AVAC Vietnam consider and research ASF vaccine production in many aspects. In addition, the company needs to focus on intellectual property issues, as well as on many scenarios when deploying vaccines in practice.