Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, the global leader in animal health solutions, announces today that its innovative recombinant INNOVAX® poultry vaccine range has been introduced in markets in Latin America.

The novel Innovax vaccine range, developed by scientists at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, consists of live virus vector vaccines that protect against pathogens that cause severe infections in poultry, such as Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT), Marek's Disease (MD) and Newcastle Disease (ND). In Latin America, Innovax vaccines are to be used at the hatchery as a single-dose injection into the egg of 18-day old embryos ('in-ovo') or as a subcutaneous injection in the chick at hatch, offering life-long protection without adverse vaccination reactions.

Unlike traditional viral vaccines, which use killed or attenuated live viruses to prevent disease outbreaks, Innovax vaccines employ a completely different approach. The vector vaccine is created by inserting (using recombinant technology) immunogenic gene sequences from a disease-causing virus into the virus genome of the non-pathogenic herpes virus of turkey, which is also used for protection against Marek's disease.

"Since vaccines of the Innovax range express the immunogenic proteins of a particular disease agent, there is no risk of developing a carrier state or clinical disease, as is the case for ILT. Besides, these vaccines induce a long-lasting immune response, limiting in general the need for revaccinations in the field," explained Aris Malo DVM, Global Technical Lead at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's Poultry Business Unit.

"Our Innovax vaccines offer important advantages for the Latin American poultry industry because day-old or in-ovo vaccination eliminates the need for field vaccination later in life, which simplifies management of flocks and improves biosecurity of the farms. Poultry vaccination with Innovax may therefore offer improved health and enhanced productivity as well as lower overall costs and convenience to the poultry business," added Marcelo Lang, Director of the Global Poultry Business Unit.

"The vaccine range has recently been introduced in Mexico (under the name FUSION®) and in Peru and is close to introduction in other Latin American countries. In 2010 we plan to further introduce both Innovax-ILT and Innovax-ND-SB in other parts of the world. The first results and feedback that we have received from customers are very positive," said Rick van Oort, Global Marketing Manager of the Poultry Business Unit.

Innovax and Fusion are trademarks of Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.