Vaccine contract to strengthen Australia’s preparedness against foot-and-mouth disease

Australia’s preparedness for a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak has stepped up a notch, with pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim awarded a multi-year contract to provide antigen and vaccine supply capability. While FMD has never been detected in Australia, it is estimated an outbreak would wipe out about $80 billion from the nation’s livestock industries over 10 years. The contract, awarded by Animal Health Australia, will see Boehringer Ingelheim maintain an off-shore antigen bank and rapidly scalable vaccine manufacturing capability. The vaccine is a highly purified, high-potency inactivated vaccine with potential marker properties that allow differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA). The vaccine induces an immune response which is different from that induced by natural infection. Having access to DIVA-capable vaccines will allow Australia to consider emergency vaccination as part of the response strategy from the day an FMD incursion is detected. It also provides an option to restore the country’s FMD-free trade status through testing and surveillance without destroying vaccinated animals. Boehringer Ingelheim animal health regulatory affairs manager Carolyn Conacher said the FMD vaccine contract had many components. “In co-ordinating Australia’s FMD vaccine supply, we collaborate with Animal Health Australia, government departments, regulators, and technical advisory groups,” Dr Conacher said. “In the event of a disease outbreak we work closely with the Australian authorities to match the FMD strain identified as the cause of the outbreak to an antigen in the bank and move swiftly to vaccine production. “Once the right antigen is identified we can have vaccines ready for delivery to Australia within six days.” Indonesia’s FMD outbreak is continuing in several provinces, including Bali. Boehringer Ingelheim Australia and New Zealand head of animal health Christoph Tautphaeus said the company maintained 13 vaccine banks worldwide that could be used in the event of an outbreak. He said Boehringer Ingelheim was the only antigen bank supplier with a full portfolio of strains recommended by the World Reference Laboratory. “During Indonesia’s 2022 FMD emergency situation, Boehringer was the first vaccine supplier to respond, and supplied 3 million vaccine doses to Indonesian authorities to support their vaccination campaign,” Mr Tautphaeus said. Animal Health Australia CEO Samantha Allan said Boehringer Ingelheim had been awarded the five-year contract after a detailed assessment of the current FMD risk profile, evaluation of the antigens required for the bank, the number of doses of antigens required, and the capabilities of the various international suppliers. “By maintaining this capability off-shore, Australia maintains its FMD-free status, which is key to market access for our livestock product exports,” Dr Allan said. FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and camelid species.