Poultry Coccidiosis Vaccine
Imugene and Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd. ("Abic"), are collaborating to develop and evaluate a new vaccine for the prevention of poultry coccidiosis for the broiler market.
Abic has part funded the vaccine product development feasibility study which will combine Imugene’s patented Adenoviral Vector Delivery System with patented coccidia genes supplied and owned by Abic. Vaccine candidates have been developed by Imugene and have been delivered to Abic for animal trials. Trials are anticipated to be undertaken in early 2008.
An effective ‘non-vectored’ sub-unit poultry coccidia vaccine is currently sold by Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd. It is used in various countries in the broiler breeder market so that their offspring chicks have maternally-derived immune protection. It is expensive to administer as each vaccine must be given manually and therefore is uneconomic for the broiler bird market.
By combining Imugene’s Vector Delivery System and Abic antigens, the product has the potential to be introduced to the much larger broiler markets because the vaccine will be able to be administrated inexpensively on a large scale by a combination of in ovo and orally.
Upon successful completion of the trials and license negotiations and obtaining marketing authorisation Abic will produce, sell and distribute the vectored coccidia vaccine with Imugene receiving royalty income. Abic is represented in the major poultry producing regions of the world.
Disease
Coccidiosis is one of the most common and costly diseases in poultry and is prevalent worldwide. The parasitic disease causes weight loss and poor feed conversion and the death rate in chicks and adult birds can be high. Coccidiosis preventatives and treatments are the second biggest poultry health product category, second to in-feed antibiotics.
Current treatment for poultry (broiler) producers
Current treatment for broilers is control only, not prevention, through the use of coccidiostats. These treatments are usually administered in the feed as additives. Coccidiostats are a range of chemical compounds suffering from declining effectiveness as resistance is developing.
Commercial Proposition
Coccidiostats are becoming less effective and cannot be used to prevent the disease. Preventative vaccines exist and are based on live attenuated vaccines and sub-unit vaccines. Abic is one of the industry leaders in preventive vaccine development and sales. These vaccines are sold to owners of breeder production for the maternal immunisation of their offspring. These sub-unit vaccines can only be administered by injection. The Imugene vectored vaccine, deliverable in ovo or orally by water, would be commercially attractive for its extreme improvement in administration efficiency.
About Coccidiosis
Coccidiosis in chickens is caused by seven different species of coccidia (genus Eimeria), which are single celled parasites that live in the gut wall of their host. These coccidia are host specific: turkeys and other species are not infected by fowl coccidia and vice-versa. The different species of coccidia live in different parts of the gut and can be divided into those causing intestinal coccidiosis (the majority) or caecal coccidiosis (one species).
The magnitude of the impact of coccidiosis is such that disease control practices are essential. Coccidia treatment (coccidiostats) is the second biggest poultry treatment product category, second only to in-feed antibiotics. In 2004 in the UK, coccidiostats accounted for 31% of antimicrobial sales (by tonne) for all food animals. In the USA in 2001, 74% of all poultry producers used some form of coccidiostat accounting for an increased cost per tonne of food of ~$US3.00. An estimated market for coccidiostats in the US using these figures is ~$US100 million per annum.
However, since coccidiosis has such a dramatic impact on commercial poultry production it is unlikely that poultry industries will be forced to cease coccidiostat use unless there is a credible alternative like an effective and an economically viable vaccine.
About Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd
Abic is a quality producer of pharmaceuticals and veterinary products. Abic Biological Laboratories is wholly owned by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. The veterinary division under the name of Abic has emerged as a major force in the Israeli veterinary market.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, headquartered in Israel, is among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and among the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Company develops, manufactures and markets generic and innovative human pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Close to 90% of Teva’s sales are in North America and Europe.