IMUGENE VACCINE PROTECTS PIGS FROM LUNG DISEASE
October 15th 2008 11:30
Friday October 10, 2008
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* IMUGENE VACCINE PROTECTS PIGS FROM LUNG DISEASE
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IMUGENE
Imugene says the final report of its US porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome vaccine trial shows it protects pigs from the lung disease, prevents infection in the blood and reduces viral infection in the lungs.
Imugen said the final report, included all results from the recently completed trial and confirmed the preliminary results previously announced.
The company said it provided additional information indicating the high level of effectiveness provided by its modified porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) vaccine.
Imugene said the vaccine provided “a very high degree of protection against the PRRS disease when two doses are administered either orally or by injection”.
Imugene said porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome was caused by a viral infection and the major clinical signs were the result of areas of diseased lung (consolidation).
To evaluate the severity of an infection, standardized lung lesion scores were generated by scoring the diseased areas in each of the seven lung lobes from each pig and then generating an average.
The lower the average lung lesion score the better, as this indicates a lower level of disease.
Another important measure of PRRS virus infection in pigs was the level and duration of the virus in the pig’s blood, also known as viremia.
In normal situations, following exposure to the PRRS virus, a prolonged acute productive infection takes place characterized by viremia that can last several weeks.
An effective vaccine administered prior to exposure with the PRRS virus will reduce the percentage of viremia and the duration of viremia.
Imugene said clinical illness with the PRRS virus slows weight gain during and after infection and an effective vaccine should result in less clinical illness and therefore better weight gains following infection.
Following challenge with the live PRRS virus, the vaccinated pigs compared to the control pigs: had much lower lung lesion scores; no viremia in the group vaccinated by injection; lower viremia counts in the orally vaccinated group; fewer pigs with virus isolated from lung samples; better weight gains over the 14 day post-challenge period.
The differences between unvaccinated and vaccinated (injected and oral) were statistically significant (p=0.000058 and p= 0.000025 respectively). The differences in weight gain between groups were not statistically significant over the 14 day post challenge period.
Imugene managing director Dr Warwick Lamb said the results showed that the modified vaccine correctly primed the pigs’ immune system “to very efficiently prevent disease from the PRRS virus challenge”.
“The success of this trial and the compelling results against such a major pig disease is very positive for Imugene’s entire pig vaccine platform,” Dr Lamb said.
“The PRRS vaccine is now our lead product to progress into the regulatory process for the [porcine adenoviral] vaccine range with authorities in the US,” Dr Lamb said.
The trials were undertaken at a specialist trial facility in the US.
The trial consisted of 45 piglets split into three groups. Of the two vaccinated groups, one received doses orally, the other via intramuscular injection.
Each group received two doses, 14 days apart. All groups were challenged with the live PRRS virus 14 days following the second dose vaccine administration.
Imugene said PRRS caused industry losses of up to $1 billion each year.
Imugene fell 1.5 cents or 30 percent to 3.5 cents.
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