Zoetis secures USDA approval for avian flu vaccine amid ongoing outbreak

USA – Zoetis has received a conditional license from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its avian flu vaccine for use in chickens, a move that comes amid an outbreak devastating poultry flocks and driving up egg prices.

The vaccine manufacturer announced the approval last Friday, stating that its scientists began updating an existing avian flu vaccine in 2022.

“We’ve been working with the administration and with Congress, and we’re very excited today to get the licensure for (the vaccine) in poultry, which we think will be a tool that will help support the government as they deem necessary,” Zoetis CEO Kristin Peck comments.

The USDA granted the conditional license based on the demonstration of “safety, purity, and reasonable expectation of efficacy,” according to Zoetis. 

Conditional licenses are typically issued for a set period in response to emergencies or special circumstances.

Zoetis has previously developed vaccines for avian flu, including one used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to protect California condors in 2023. 

However, the company emphasised that the decision to vaccinate commercial poultry flocks rests with national regulatory authorities in consultation with the poultry sector.

While many countries already vaccinate chickens against bird flu, the US has traditionally focused on eradicating the virus through flock culling when infections are detected. 

Concerns about vaccination have included potential difficulties in detecting the virus in inoculated birds and trade implications. However, as bird flu spreads to other animals, including cattle, and becomes harder to contain, the approach may be shifting.

Over the past 30 days, 146 flocks have been confirmed to have avian flu, affecting more than 20.5 million birds, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Since the outbreak began in 2022, more than 150 million birds have been impacted.

Additionally, about 70 bird flu infections have been confirmed in people in the US since March 2024, with one fatality reported last year in Louisiana. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that the risk to the general public remains low, though farmworkers and backyard poultry owners face a higher risk of infection.

Meanwhile, the National Economic Council and the Department of Agriculture are preparing a plan to combat bird flu that could reduce reliance on culling.

“What we need to do is have better ways with biosecurity and medication to avoid killing chickens,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Consumers can expect egg prices to remain high due to the outbreak and inflation. The USDA forecasts a 20% increase in egg prices in 2025, compared to a 2.2% rise in food prices overall.

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