Elanco, Medgene partner on HPAI vaccine for dairy cattle

USA – Elanco Animal Health Inc. has agreed with South Dakota-based Medgene to leverage the company’s vaccine platform technology to commercialise a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccine for use in dairy cattle.

According to Medgene, the vaccine has met all requirements under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) platform technology guidelines and is currently in the final stages of review for conditional license approval.

While the poultry industry has developed interventions and biosecurity measures to combat HPAI, the ongoing outbreak, now entering its fourth year, remains a significant challenge. 

Medgene explains that dairy producers have had to act swiftly to protect their herds without the same preventive tools available to poultry producers. 

Since March 2024, cross-species transmission of HPAI has affected nearly 1,000 dairy herds across the U.S., with cases of zoonotic transmission to humans further underscoring the urgency for new interventions. 

Elanco emphasized in a press release that the virus is widespread and expected to persist, making a cattle vaccine critical for slowing its spread between birds and cattle.

According to Jeff Simmons, president and CEO of Elanco Animal Health, as egg prices soar and milk production declines in infected dairies, the need for innovative solutions to curb disease spread is clear, 

“Elanco is pleased to partner with Medgene to provide dairy producers with tools to combat this devastating disease. We believe this vaccine will become a routine component of dairy health protocols. 

Additionally, this partnership strengthens our diverse dairy portfolio and advances our One Health platform, supporting both our dairy and poultry customers while helping stabilize egg prices for consumers,” Simmons added. 

The USDA previously approved Medgene’s vaccine platform technology for use in cattle, enabling the company to accelerate the development of an H5N1 vaccine. 

Medgene reports that it has a ready supply of vaccine manufacturing capacity to support the U.S. dairy industry upon approval.

Mark Luecke, CEO of Medgene, explains that Medgene has a strong track record of supporting animal owners and veterinarians with its USDA-licensed platform technology and bioinformatics software to develop transformative vaccines.

“With our critically important H5N1 vaccine for dairy cattle nearing approval, we are excited to collaborate with Elanco to bring this much-needed solution to U.S. dairies rapidly,” Mark Luecke added.

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