Workers at AVAC Việt Nam prepares a shipment of African swine fever vaccine for export to Indonesia. — Photo courtesy of AVAC

HÀ NỘI — Biotechnology firm AVAC Việt Nam Joint Stock Company has exported its first shipment of African swine fever (ASF) vaccines to Indonesia, a major milestone in the country’s efforts to bring domestically developed veterinary vaccines to the international market.

The shipment, consisting of 120,000 doses of the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine, was sent to Indonesia on Monday following nearly three years of evaluation and testing in collaboration with Indonesian authorities. The vaccine was officially approved for use by Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture in April this year.

The importer and distributor is PT. Biotis Prima Agrisindo, based in West Java. 

According to Nguyễn Văn Điệp, General Director of AVAC Việt Nam, the export underscores the vaccine’s quality and efficacy, having passed Indonesia’s stringent veterinary approval process. 

He said the milestone reflected not only the company’s success but also the progress of Việt Nam’s veterinary vaccine sector in establishing a presence on the global stage.

The live attenuated vaccine is the first of its kind in the world to have been successfully developed and commercialised, a result of intensive research by AVAC. 

The product has so far been used to administer over 3.5 million doses, with around three million doses deployed across Việt Nam to help contain ASF outbreaks in various localities. 

Nearly 500,000 doses have already been exported to the Philippines and Nigeria, both of which have responded positively to the vaccine.

AVAC currently maintains a reserve of approximately 1.5 million doses to meet urgent domestic and international demand. The company is also pursuing regulatory approval in several other countries, including India, Malaysia, Nepal and Myanmar.

In Việt Nam, the vaccine has been rolled out on a large scale in provinces such as Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, Bắc Ninh, Hải Dương, Hải Phòng, Quảng Ninh, Quảng Ngãi and Trà Vinh, with the support of local funding. Field results have shown the vaccine to be highly effective and safe, with no recurrence of ASF in vaccinated herds.

Veterinary authorities are continuing to assess the vaccine’s use in breeding pigs, including both sows and boars, to extend protection across the entire pig population. Initial trials have indicated good safety and efficacy, though full evaluation is still underway.

Lê Toàn Thắng, head of Veterinary Medicine Management Division at the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, said the successful export to Indonesia further demonstrated the effectiveness of Vietnamese-made vaccines. 

He said that Việt Nam’s ability to control ASF domestically helped build trust in the product and opened the door for more exports.

All exported veterinary vaccines must undergo rigorous testing, independent trials and safety assessments in the importing country before they are approved for use. AVAC’s product has successfully met these standards.

AVAC is one of three domestic manufacturers currently licensed to produce ASF vaccines in Việt Nam, alongside Navetco Central Veterinary Medicine JSC and Dabaco Group. — VNS