ASF VACCINE. A caretaker cleans a pig pen in Iloilo province in this undated photo. The African swine fever vaccine will be available in the country later this year or early next year, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday (Aug. 1, 2024). (Photo screenshot from DA 6 video)
MANILA – The African swine fever (ASF) vaccine will be available in the country later this year or early next year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday.
In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview, FDA spokesperson Pamela Sevilla said AVAC ASF Live from Vietnam has been approved with a certificate of product registration valid for two years.
Sevila said the vaccine manufacturer must conduct clinical trials to ensure the safety and efficacy of their product within two years.
"With the help of (the) Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), so locally po nagkakaroon tayo ng clinical trials with that. Base po sa nagawa ng BAI, pumasa naman ito sa Phase 1 and Phase 2 (so locally we had clinical trials with that. Based on what BAI did, it passed Phase 1 and Phase 2)," she said.
BAI is in charge of the efficacy and safety while the FDA checks the documents and the quality of the veterinary drug, she added.
On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. said the government allocated PHP350 million for the ASF immunization program.
The initial rollout of 150,000 doses of the AVAC ASF Live vaccine from Vietnam will be controlled and monitored as it has been approved for restricted use by the Department of Agriculture only.
Sevilla said the availability of the vaccine would help target the areas where the hog industry or pork production is largely affected.
In July 2019, the DA confirmed the first ASF outbreak in the country which occurred in 73 of the 82 provinces.
As of June 21, about 10 provinces have active ASF cases.
The latest data from the National Meat Inspection Service showed that pork from local hog raisers decreased to 752.95 metric tons from 3,114 metric tons year-on-year as of April 2024. (PNA)
