Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday launched Bharat Biotech group company Biovet’s new vaccine against the lumpy skin disease (LSD) in dairy cattle and buffaloes, the company announed in a statement.
“All viable measures should be taken earnestly to ensure the effective rollout of the vaccine, which not only can contribute to the state’s targeted 20% livestock growth trajectory but also promote the long-term sustainability of the dairy industry…,” said Naidu at the launch.
According to national statistics by the animal husbandry, dairy ministry, there have been two major outbreaks of LSD in India, the first in 2019 and the second in 2022. During these outbreaks, approximately 200,000 cattle have died, and millions more cattle have lost their milk production capabilities due to Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
In February, this year, the company received approval from the national drugs regulator— Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to market the vaccine.
Biolumpivaxin, is the world’s first Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) marker vaccine, which will help in disease surveillance as it means the experts will be able to distinguish between vaccinated and naturally infected dairy cattle. It is a live-attenuated marker vaccine developed using the LSD virus/Ranchi/2019 vaccine strain from Indian Council of Agriculture Research-National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE), Hisar, in collaboration with Biovet.
The vaccine is a single vaccination regimen given once in a year to cattle and buffaloes of all ages. The presentation is in multi dose vials from 25 doses up to a maximum of 100 doses per vial and the vaccine is stable at 2-8° C storage temperature.
Biovet can produce 500 million doses of the vaccine from its production facilities in Bengaluru, ensuring sustainable supplies, said the company.
“Livestock, alongside our human resources, represents one of the nation’s greatest assets, contributing significantly to our economy and overall prosperity. We carry a deep responsibility to protect this sector, ensure the well-being of the dairy industry, and advance the nation’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision,” said Krishna Ella, founder, Biovet, and executive chairman, Bharat Biotech, in a statement.
