Hog farmers in the country are awaiting the certification of the African swine fever (ASF) vaccine submitted to the Food and Drug Administration.
ASF, a deadly disease that kills hogs in a matter of days, has affected more than half of the hog population in the country.
According to Dr. Niño Bagui, assistant vice president of Soro-soro Ibaba Development Cooperative — one of the largest hog farm cooperatives in the country with more than 67,000 members — demand for the vaccine continues to mount, as more farmers appealed to the government to make the vaccine available soon, especially to small hold farmers.
Jeffrey Virgo, who runs a small hog farm, joined the call for the FDA’s swift action.
“Farmers like me and our families, all we want is to put this thing behind us. I wish that the availability of the vaccine will be the government’s pamasko for us,” he said in Filipino.
To date, the most promising swine fever vaccine is the ASF AVAC LIVE, which is manufactured by AVAC Vietnam and exclusively distributed by KPP Powers Commodities, Inc.
The application to secure the vaccine’s Certificate of Product Registration from the FDA was initiated in Nov. 2022.
In the Philippines, local trials were conducted this year under the supervision of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
The results of these tests —which showed a 100 percent success rate in Phase 1 — prompted the FDA to approve the importation of 300,000 doses as trials proceed.
KPP Powers Managing Director Juancho Robles underscored the industry’s demand for ASF immunization: “We share the sentiment of farmers, producers, and even consumers that have been yearning for positive news as soon as possible.”
“This is why we made sure that all the regulatory requirements, as well as reports on the results of the trials are promptly submitted to both the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) and the FDA since last October 2023,” he added.