Largest pig producing country China approves novel vaccine against widespread pig disease

Ingelheim/Germany and Shanghai/China, 11 January 2010 – Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH has been granted market authorisation for a vaccine for the control of Porcine Circovirus Disease (PCVD) by the Chinese regulatory authorities.

Ingelvac CircoFLEX® is an animal vaccine, that contains a unique combination of purified circo-antigen (a virus like particle) with an especially designed adjuvant (ImpranFLEX®). It is licensed as a single shot vaccine recommended for convenient vaccination around weaning.

Under various animal management conditions the vaccine has consistently shown to reduce clinical signs like wasting and mortality in the acute form as well as to improve growth performance in the chronic form of the disease.^1,2,3,4,5 Since 2006, more than 260 million pigs have been vaccinated, establishing Ingelvac CircoFLEX® as the largest selling PCV2 vaccine worldwide.

Ingelvac CircoFLEX® has first been launched in North America in 2006 and has subsequently been licensed in four South American countries, in 29 European countries, in six Asian countries as well as in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and now China. China is by far the largest pig producing country worldwide. In 2007 about 46% of the global pig population was reared in China (FAO 2009; http://faostat.fao.org/). Strong economic growth in China and the inheriting improvements in standard of living will lead to an increasing demand for high quality pork meat in the next years.

Porcine circovirus disease (PCVD) is recognised as one of the most economically damaging pig diseases in the world. Acute infections with the Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) compromise the immunity of the pig leading to high mortalities, increased frequency of co-infections with other pathogenes and reduced growth performance. Almost 100% of pigs herds are infected with PCV2.

With this pioneering product Boehringer Ingelheim is providing Chinese pig farmers with an efficient solution for the prevention of the economically disastourus Procine Circovirus Disease as the basis for a successful production of healthy pork.

Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica belong to the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies. The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 137 affiliates in 47 countries and 41,300 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

In 2008, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 11.6 billion euro while spending one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.

The animal health business is conducted in more than 20 countries including USA, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain, the Nordic countries, Japan and China. Since 1955, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health researches, develops and markets vaccines and pharmaceuticals contributing to an adequate supply of safe, nutritious food and promoting the emotional and physical benefits arising from the human-animal bond.

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