On August 26, 2024, a delegation from the Philippines, led by Mr. Engr. Rosendo O. So, Chairman of the Philippines’ Industry and Agriculture Promotion Agency (SINAG), and Ms. Pinky Pe Tobiano, CEO of KPP Powers Commodites Inc (the importer of AVAC’s African Swine Fever vaccine), visited AVAC Vietnam’s vaccine production facility in Hung Yen province to receive a batch of 150,000 doses of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine. This batch is part of the 600,000 doses that the Philippines has ordered from Vietnam.
VIETNAM’S AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VACCINE PROVES SAFE AND EFFECTIVE
Mr. Engr. Rosendo O. So stated that the Philippines has imported AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine from Vietnam and conducted a three-phase trial. The Philippine government funded the import and distribution of this vaccine to farms.
Phase 1 and 2, conducted from February to September 2023, involved vaccinating 1,000 pigs at 9 farms. The results showed that the vaccine was safe and provided up to 100% immunity. Phase 3, from July 2023 to July 2024, included the import of 300,000 doses, with 150,000 pigs vaccinated at 30 large-scale farms and the remaining doses administered to small-scale farms.
“The results showed that all vaccinated pigs were safe, with a protection rate of over 95%, and there were almost no outbreaks. The Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry reported the successful trial results of the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine to the World Organization for Animal Health at a meeting on February 15, 2024,” affirmed Mr. Rosendo So.
At a press conference held in the Philippines by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in late July 2024, DA and the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Ministry of Health announced the approval for the circulation and free trade of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine produced in Vietnam. The DA also announced plans to deploy the African Swine Fever vaccination campaign in Q3/2024.
“Currently, the World Organization for Animal Health has not issued standards for the African swine fever vaccine because it has only recently been successfully produced, and Vietnam is the only country in the world that has been able to manufacture this vaccine. The Philippines and some other countries have proposed that the World Organization for Animal Health complete the vaccine standards to provide a basis for regular licensing of this product.”
Mr. Engr. Rosendo O. So, Chairman of the Government of the Philippines’ Industry and Agriculture Promotion Agency (SINAG)
Citing reports from the Philippine media about the aforementioned meeting, Mr. Engr. Rosendo O. So stated that the Philippine Minister of Agriculture, Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., confirmed that the DA, through the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), is finalizing guidelines with stakeholders in agriculture and veterinary medicine regarding the controlled use of the ASF vaccine. A total of 350 million pesos have been allocated by the DA to fund the purchase of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine, syringes, and other essentials for the implementation of the ASF vaccine procurement and utilization plan in the Philippines.
According to the official website of the Philippine Department of Agriculture: “The AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine, developed by AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company, is described as a ‘freeze-dried, attenuated vaccine cultured on DMAC cell lines. The aforementioned vaccine is recommended for pigs from four weeks of age with a single-dose suggestion and a minimum protection period of five months.”
As of July 14, 2024, the National African Swine Fever Prevention and Control Program (NASFPCP) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Animal Industry reported 403 red zones and 737 pink zones for ASF in pigs in the Philippines. (Red zones indicate a critical situation, while pink zones indicate a dangerous situation). According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, due to the impact of ASF, the country’s pork production decreased from 2.3 million tons in 2019 to only 1.7 million tons in 2021.
Sharing with the Vietnamese media on August 26, 2024, Mr. Engr. Rosendo O. So stated that of the 600,000 doses of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine ordered from Vietnam, 300,000 doses have been imported and utilized. In this batch, approximately 150,000 doses of AVAC ASF Live will be imported and are expected to be transported to the Philippines between now and early September 2024. The remaining doses will be imported in subsequent batches.
According to Mr. Engr. Rosendo O. So, unlike in Vietnam, where the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development oversees vaccine trials and import licensing, this responsibility falls under the Ministry of Health in the Philippines.
“Currently, the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine has a two-year Product Registration Certificate (PRC) issued with specific conditions and subject to annual evaluation in the Philippines. Therefore, if any incidents occur when the vaccine is used on farms, they will be referred to an independent agency – a group of experts to be identified by the DA, and their recommendations will be acknowledged by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration for continued circulation or PRC recall,” shared Mr. Rosendo So.
CONCERNS ABOUT SMUGGLING AND COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS
Emphasizing the potential of the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine, Ms. Pinky Pe Tobiano, CEO of KPP Powers Commodities Inc., stated that the evaluation results regarding the vaccine’s efficacy and safety met the requirements and complied with Philippine regulations.
“The Philippine authorities have announced that the vaccine is safe, and 100% of the vaccinated pigs developed antibodies with no side effects on the animal population,” affirmed Ms. Pinky Pe Tobiano.
To ensure the widespread use of AVAC’s vaccine in the Philippines in the future, Ms. Pinky, in her role as the importer, highlighted the issue of rampant smuggling and counterfeiting in the market, which could impact the vaccine’s reputation and quality.
“Counterfeit products with labels claiming to be ‘AVAC ASF LIVE Vaccine’ made in Vietnam have emerged in the Philippine market. That is why our delegation is here in Vietnam to supervise, ensure legality, and combat smuggling through unique packaging, codes, and barcodes. We also aim to distinguish between government-purchased and smuggled goods,” emphasized Ms. Pinky Pe Tobiano.
Sharing with the Philippine partners, Dr. Nguyen Van Diep, General Director of AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company, stated that in Vietnam, the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine underwent multiple trial phases under the strict supervision of the Department of Animal Health (under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development).
Specifically, the vaccine was first tested in a narrow supervision setting at four farms, evaluating clinical, viral shedding, immune response, and protection rate criteria. This was followed by a large-scale trial involving 600,000 doses administered at 500 farms. Based on the trial results, the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine received permission for free circulation in the entire Vietnamese market from July 24, 2023, by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
According to Mr. Diep, to date, the company has supplied over 2.6 million doses of the African swine fever vaccine to the market, including approximately 2.3 million doses domestically and exports to the Philippines (300,000 doses) and Nigeria (5,000 doses). Additionally, the company has sent samples for trials and registration in several countries: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar, and Nigeria. These countries are awaiting standards for the African swine fever vaccine from the World Organization for Animal Health to grant permission for product circulation.
Mr. Diep informed that in the first half of 2024, some provinces in Vietnam experienced African swine fever outbreaks, but these occurred in unvaccinated pig populations. In contrast, some localities used the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine to surround and even directly vaccinate within the outbreak areas, successfully controlling the disease. Specifically, in Cao Bang province, after the outbreak, 56,000 doses were administered, and only 11 pigs were reported dead post-vaccination.
In Lang Son province, 43,000 doses were administered from July 20, 2024, onwards, with only 17 pigs reported dead among the vaccinated population. However, upon inspection, all these pigs were infected with the virus before receiving the vaccine. At the beginning of August 2024, 17,500 pigs were vaccinated in Ba To district, Quang Ngai province, and no reports of sick or dead pigs have been received as of now, 22 days post-vaccination.
Notably, in Chieng Son commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province, an outbreak occurred in May 2024, with 15% of the commune’s pig population affected. The people of Chieng Son took the initiative to purchase the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine and directly vaccinate within the outbreak area. After vaccinating 1,300 pigs from 60 households, only one pig died, demonstrating the vaccine’s remarkable effectiveness.
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