Merial is a world leading animal health company and is a recognised leader in poultry disease management. Trials of Imugene’s poultry productivity enhancer have demonstrated growth gains of 13.7% with 11.7% improvement in food conversion ratio. These weight gains exceed the current industry best practice by up to 15.8%.

Commenting on the successful conclusion of the license negotiations, Imugene Managing Director, Dr Warwick Lamb said, “We believe Merial is the best company to take this product to market. They have experienced product development teams, sophisticated sales, marketing and distribution networks and an enviable international presence. The strength and depth of these resources far exceeds anything Imugene could replicate internally and will allow us the best possible path to market.”

The territories of Australia, Japan and New Zealand are included in the sublicense territory, providing Merial with rights to manufacture, market and distribute the product to all markets.

Imugene will continue to assist Merial with the product development process in Australia involving finalisation of the OGTR approval and commercial scale trials.

Dr Warwick Lamb stated, “The sub-license completes this major stage in our commercialisation strategy for this poultry product. We look forward to the results of this partnership as Merial has an impressive track record in marketing new vaccines”.

“Combining Merial’s well established global brand and network with our highly effective poultry productivity enhancer positions the product for success.”

What is the Poultry Productivity Enhancer Product

Imugene’s patented Poultry Productivity Enhancer Product boosts a natural component of the immune system, a cytokine known as gamma interferon. This boost to the immune system increases resistance to a range of bacterial as well as viral infections. Improved disease protection is provided for both gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases.

Preventing these diseases improves growth rates, reduces mortality and reduces the costs of production (the major cost being feed).

Previous trials have demonstrated unsurpassed results:

• Finishing Weight gains of 13.7% better than untreated birds and 15.8% above industry best practice “Ross Standard”.
• Improved feed conversion of 11.7% above the Ross Standard and 9.2% better than untreated birds.
• Documented efficacy regardless of the presence or absence of in-feed antibiotics. In addition to the outstanding efficacy results, Imugene’s product is suitable for mass administration in water or feed. The Competitive Advantages Imugene’s Poultry Productivity Enhancer Product delivers significant benefits over existing and known emerging products including antibiotics and antimicrobial chemicals.
• In-feed antibiotics are only effective against bacterial diseases and do not provide any protection against viral diseases whilst the Imugene product improves immune protection against both.
• The Imugene product with its proven efficacy for improved feed conversion and weight gain, significantly lowers producers’ costs of production (shorter time period to market weight, lower feed costs).
• The Imugene product is biological (non-chemical) and is residue free, satisfying consumers’ increasing demands for antibiotic and chemical free chickens.

As the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained, the Poultry Productivity Enhancer Product will be sold across global poultry markets for use both with in-feed antibiotics and following their withdrawal throughout Europe in 2006.

Consumers and regulators are demanding chickens free of antibiotic or chemical residues. Imugene’s product is biological and therefore non chemical, non antibiotic and is residue free.

Being a biological treatment, production costs are significantly cheaper than chemical/s or antibiotic growth promotants. The Poultry Productivity Enhancer Product is also suitable for mass administration in water or feed, injected into the egg, or by aerosol spray.