Indonesia is facing a US $170 million financial loss due to extermination of huge numbers of birds and poultry since the outbreak of avian flu in its territory in 2003. Foreign Affairs Ministry ASEAN cooperation Director General Dian Triansyah Djan said the figures did not cover humanitarian losses and therapy expenses and added that the disease created a crisis in the Indonesian meat and poultry sector. He said that losses in the sector reach US $1.2 billion due to halt of poultry exports. Sixty infection cases have been recorded so far including 50 deaths, he added. This means that Indonesia has the highest bird flu death count in the world. Twenty five countries and international organizations have committed to offering morale and financial aid thought to reach US $1.9 billion. Meanwhile, ASEAN Secretary General Special Assistant Azmi Mat Akhir said that only three ASEAN countries, Singapore; Brunei and the Philippines, were bird flu free. New cases of the H5N1 virus are still discovered in Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia, he said. ===================================
TWO AVIAN INFLUENZA VACCINE CANDIDATES FINALISED. POULTRY EFFICACY TRIALS TO PROCEED The Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) vaccine candidates have been developed in Imugene’s new laboratory and are now ready for challenge trials in chickens. Sydney, Australia: Imugene Limited (ASX:IMU) has successfully completed laboratory development of two avian influenza (H5N1 strain/bird flu) vaccine candidates. These vaccine candidates are now ready for challenge trials in chickens to confirm efficacy in protecting chickens from avian influenza. The trial vaccines utilise Imugene’s proven Adenoviral Delivery Vector technology to deliver the necessary genetic material to stimulate the birds' immune system to protect against infection with the bird flu virus. Imugene Managing Director Dr Warwick Lamb said, “the decision to move our laboratory research work from contract facilities to our own laboratory has paid off with this outstanding result. Imugene’s chief scientific officer Dr Mike Sheppard has, in a very short time successfully engineered the vaccine candidates for both the broiler market and the broiler breeder and egg layer markets. “The vaccine candidates have been thoroughly verified by a series of in-house and external tests and are exactly what we want them to be. A pilot trial to test both candidates in a bird flu challenge trial has been designed and negotiations are underway to secure a trial facility and starting date.” The two vaccine candidates differ as the commercial requirements for broilers and breeders or layers vary. The primary aim for a commercial Bird Flu vaccine for broilers is to provide immunity early in a bird’s life but the protection need only be short term as broiler birds typically reach market weight by 42-49 days of age. Layer birds and birds used for breeding stock for the broiler market require longer lasting immunity. The vaccine designed for layers and breeders uses two antigens (rather than the single antigen used in the broiler vaccine) to elicit both antibody and cell mediated immunity. In April this year, Imugene began developing its own Bird Flu vaccine at its facilities at La Trobe University. This work focused on developing the two Bird Flu vaccine candidates using synthetic genetic material produced in Europe. Page 2 of 3 Major Advantages of the Imugene Vaccine Candidates An effective vaccine could be used to protect the world’s poultry industry from further avian influenza outbreaks and halt the spread towards Australia, Europe and the US. A viable vaccine to control outbreaks must be safe, effective and able to be quickly and easily administered on a large scale. The Imugene vaccine candidates use technology that allows authorities to differentiate between infected and vaccinated birds, a vital consideration for the international poultry industry. The vaccine candidates deliver only a portion of the flu genetic material instead of the whole virus. This makes the Imugene vaccines safe by preventing mutations or recombination with human flu viruses. The vaccine candidates generated using the Imugene delivery system are very cost effective for mass administration to entire poultry sheds and do not require injection of each bird. “Administering the vaccine to large numbers of birds via the birds’ drinking water greatly reduces the cost and effort needed to implement large scale injectable vaccination programs” said Dr Lamb. The vaccine candidates are specific to the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, but can be easily and quickly adapted to protect against other strains of influenza. The above advantages of the Imugene vaccine solve the limitations of existing vaccines and treatments.
IMU Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
(20min delay)