Australian horse owners who are battling against the deadly Hendra virus
received an important boost today with the introduction of Equivac® HeV
vaccine. The Equivac® HeV vaccine will be available for use under permit
by accredited veterinarians thanks to an international public-private
partnership created to make this important new vaccine accessible. The
vaccine, launched by Pfizer Animal Health, will help prevent the spread
of the Hendra virus by breaking the cycle of transmission that puts
humans at risk.
Hendra virus has claimed the lives of four people and 81 horses since
1994.i With no known cure for Hendra virus, the Equivac HeV vaccine is
positioned to become the most effective defence against this emerging
infectious disease.
“As a veterinarian, I have seen firsthand how Hendra has created
difficult working conditions for my colleagues and any Australian who
works with horses,” said Dr. Deborah Middleton, veterinary pathologist
and leader of the Hendra virus vaccine project at the Commonwealth
Science and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) Australian Animal
Health Laboratory (AAHL). “A horse vaccine is crucial to breaking the
cycle of Hendra virus transmission from flying foxes to horses and then
to people, as it can prevent both the horse developing the disease and
passing it on. For the first time, we have a Hendra-specific tool that
provides veterinarians with a greater level of safety when they come
into contact with sick horses.”
An international collaboration is responsible for making the Equivac HeV
vaccine available to Australian veterinarians and the equine industry.
In Australia, Pfizer Animal Health worked in close partnership with the
CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL). In the United
States, the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences (USU)
and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military
Medicine, Inc. (HJF) also contributed to the development of this
important vaccine.
Pfizer Animal Health contributed to all aspects of the product
development including a commercially viable antigen production system,
vaccine formulation, production scale-up, safety and efficacy clinical
trials, registration and commercial distribution. Pfizer Animal Health
focused on speed to market for this important development, while
responding to all the necessary safety and regulatory requirements of
the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and
the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.
“We are committed to responding rapidly to emerging infectious diseases
in animals, especially to zoonotic infectious diseases which can
threaten human health,” said Catherine Knupp, Vice President, Veterinary
Medicine Research and Development, Pfizer Animal Health. “Our
involvement in the collaboration to develop Equivac HeV speaks to our
determination to support the global veterinary community with effective
vaccines to aid in the control of potentially life-threatening diseases
such as Hendra virus.”
“By investing in the development of innovative medicines and vaccines,
we are not only supporting the local research and development industry,
but also ensuring we can respond rapidly to emerging infectious diseases
in Australia such as Hendra virus.” added Mike van Blommestein, Division
Director, Pfizer Animal Health Australia.
U.S. partners, HJF and USU, also played an important role in the initial
stages of the development of Equivac HeV vaccine. A research team at
USU, led by Dr Christopher Broder, Ph.D., worked for more than a decade
to find preventive treatments for both Hendra and related Nipah virus
infections.
CSIRO’s AAHL contributed critical technical knowhow and advice on the
virus to the partnership. CSIRO also provided the safe handling of
Hendra virus and testing of the Equivac HeV at its high containment
facility in Geelong, Victoria, the only laboratory in the world capable
of such high-risk work.
Hendra virus is an emerging zoonosis that can cause respiratory and
neurological disease and death in people. It is transmitted to people
through close contact with infected horses or their bodily fluids.
Despite the relatively few outbreaks, Hendra is a public health concern
for its ability to cause disease and death in people and the potential
for further infection.
“Pfizer Animal Health is collaborating with state based Chief Veterinary
Officers and industry to ensure horses in areas evaluated as highest
risk are supplied with the vaccine as a first priority,” advised van
Blommestein.
As of today, Equivac HeV will be available for use by accredited
veterinarians only. Further development work and data such as adverse
events from the use of the vaccine by accredited veterinarians post
launch will be used to support the full registration of the vaccine by
the APVMA.
For more information about the Hendra virus, visit http://www.Health4Horses.com.au.
About Pfizer Animal Health
Pfizer Animal Health, a business unit of Pfizer Inc., is a global leader
in the discovery, development, manufacture and commercialization of
animal health medicines and vaccines, with a focus on both livestock and
companion animals. For more than 60 years, we have been committed to
enhancing the health of animals and bringing solutions to our customers
who raise and care for them. To learn more, visitwww.pfizeranimalhealth.com.
About CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL)
CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) is a front line
defence, helping to protect Australia from the threat of exotic and
emerging animal diseases. The Laboratory combines a capacity to rapidly
diagnose animal diseases with high quality research.
AAHL is the most sophisticated laboratory in the world for the safe
handling and containment of animal diseases and was custom-built to
ensure the containment of the most infectious agents known. For the past
quarter of a century the Laboratory has played a vital role in
protecting Australia from biosecurity threats and risks posed by serious
exotic and endemic diseases.
About Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military
Medicine
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military
Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a private, not-for-profit organization
established in 1983 and authorized by the U.S Congress to support
medical research and education at the Uniformed Services University of
the Health Sciences and throughout the military medical community. For
more information, visit www.hjf.org
About Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is the United
States’ federal health sciences university. USU students are primarily
active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public
Health Service who have received specialized education in tropical and
infectious diseases, preventive medicine, the neurosciences (to include
TBI and PTSD), disaster response and humanitarian assistance, and acute
trauma care. A large percentage of the university’s nearly 5,000
physician and 500 advanced practice nursing alumni have provided
support, leadership and expertise to operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and
throughout the globe. The University is committed to excellence in
research with graduate programs in biomedical sciences and public health
open to civilian and military applicants that have awarded more than 400
doctoral and 800 masters degrees to date. For more information, visit www.usuhs.mil.
About Australian Veterinary Association
The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is the only national
organisation representing veterinarians in Australia. Its 7500 members
come from all fields within the veterinary profession. Clinical
practitioners work with companion animals, horses, farm animals,
including cattle and sheep, and wildlife.
Government veterinarians work with our animal health, public health and
quarantine systems while other members work in industry for
pharmaceutical and other commercial enterprises. We have members who
work in research and teaching in a range of scientific disciplines.
Veterinary students are also members of the Association.
http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/4790_11112.htm
Media:
Ms Emma Wilkins, Acting Communication Manager Biosecurity Flagship
0409 031 658;
Emma.Wilkins@csiro.au
or
For further information, pre-recorded video footage or an interview, please contact:
Elinore White
Pfizer Animal Health
elinore.y.white@pfizer.com
Office: 973-401-4044
Mobile: 347-331-9042
or
Katherine Barbeler
Weber Shandwick
kbarbeler@webershandwick.com
02 9994 4406 / 0439 941 632
or
Andrés López-Varela
Weber Shandwick
alopez-varela@webershandwick.com
02 9994 4476 / 0405 631 945