Vietnam-made ASF vaccine gets regulatory approval

Metro Manila, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the certificate of product registration of a Vietnam-made vaccine against African Swine Fever.

FDA Director-General Samuel Zacate announced on Tuesday, July 30, that the Bureau of Animal Industry will use AVAC ASF Live Vaccine, one of the world’s first commercial vaccines against the disease.

Zacate said the certificate is valid for two years subject to “strict monitoring and annual evaluation.”

He said the vaccine passed “rigorous evaluation.”

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. said he is targeting the vaccine rollout by September, focused on areas with infected cases, especially Batangas and Mindoro.

Laurel said there were only 150,000 doses in its stock, but the BAI would need 600,000 vials for hog producers. He said ₱350 million was set aside for the government-led controlled trial.

“If the vaccine is really effective, definitely malaki ang epekto sa production,” Laurel said in a news conference.

“People will invest again at babalik ‘ang pagpaparami ng swine, there’s a good chance na bababa ang presyo ng pork at kikita rin ang pork producers,” he said.

[Translation: If the vaccine is really effective, it will definitely have a big impact on our production. People will invest again, swine breeders will return, there’s a good chance that the pork prices will go down and pork producers will have profits.]

He said “real effects” will be determined after six months or by February 2025. “If everything goes as planned at okay ‘yong vaccine, baka by June next year may epekto yan,” he added.

[Translation: If everything goes as planned and the vaccine is okay, maybe by June next year there will be an effect.]

The government’s economic team said the ASF is another factor for rising food inflation.

The first ASF case was reported in 2019. As of July 26, the BAI reported 150 barangays in the country have active ASF cases.