UK animal drugs watchdog approves new multivalent salmon vaccine
Medicines producer MSD Animal Health today announced the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has granted marketing authorisation for AQUAVAC S7, a heptavalent, oil-based vaccine for farmed Atlantic salmon in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The new vaccine is indicated for active immunisation of Atlantic salmon to reduce mortality caused by infections with Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV), Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida (furunculosis), Aliivibrio salmonicida (cold-water vibriosis), Vibrio anguillarum serotype O1 and O2a (vibriosis), Moritella viscosa (winter ulcer disease), and Yersinia ruckeri (yersiniosis).
The vaccine offers a rapid onset of immunity by 469 degree days (dd) for M. viscosa, 500 dd for all other bacterial components, and 517 dd for IPNV. The duration of immunity for IPNV is seven months and 12 months for the bacterial components.
No serum components
AQUAVAC S7 is comprised of inactivated whole cell antigens of A. salmonicida, Aliivibrio salmonicida, V. anguillarum serovar O1 and O2a, M. viscosa CC1, Y. ruckeri serotype O1 (Hagerman), and IPNV, in a convenient total dose volume of 0.05 ml. MSD Animal Health said the vaccine is manufactured without serum components, providing an innovation to farmers that enhances fish welfare and safety as demonstrated in safety studies.
“This vaccine is innovative not only in how it works, but in how it can be used. As it includes Yersinia ruckeri, this serum-free vaccine represents a good combination for customers who want to protect against yersiniosis,” said MSD Animal Health aquaculture executive Dafydd Morris.
The vaccine is the first aqua product to be registered by MSD Animal Health after its acquisition of the Elanco aqua business, “showing the long term commitment of our company to aquaculture,” Morris added.
An important step
MSD Animal Health R&D director Rodrigo Belmonte said: “AQUAVAC S7 is an important scientific step forward for fish health as it is our first heptavalent fish vaccine formulated serum-free.
“By improving immunity and reducing disease pressure, this vaccine supports stronger fish welfare and gives farmers a reliable way to reduce losses and improve productivity.”
Serum-free vaccines are considered superior because they enhance safety by eliminating animal-derived components, reducing risks of adventitious agents (viruses/prions) and allergic reactions.
They offer higher consistency, faster production, and easier purification, lowering manufacturing costs while improving vaccine quality.
