Embrex Inc, The In Ovo Company(SM), has received regulatory approval for Bursaplex infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccine from the Ministry of Agriculture for The People's Republic of China.

"Approval from the Chinese authorities for Bursaplex in ovo vaccine is a key next step in bringing the benefits of our in ovo technology to the world's second largest poultry market," said Randall L. Marcuson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Embrex. "We anticipate a positive response to this approval since bursal disease remains a threat to flocks in China. With our organization largely in place in China already, we can commence an intensive effort to market Bursaplex vaccine to producers very quickly."

Bursaplex vaccine is the world's only single-dose IBD vaccine designed to effectively and safely protect poultry from bursal disease when maternal antibodies are present. IBD is an immunological disease that causes poor growth and susceptibility to other diseases due to a compromised immune system. Bursaplex IBD vaccine combines a vaccine virus with Viral Neutralizing Factor, or VNF, a proprietary technology developed by Embrex. When administered in ovo, or at hatch, this vaccine is designed to provide life-long protection against bursal disease.

China is the world's second largest producer of chicken with an estimated output of more than 6 billion chickens per year. Over 3 billion of these are broilers raised by vertically-integrated producers or in other modern facilities. Currently, the Chinese eat approximately 14 pounds of chicken per person annually compared to U.S. consumption of approximately 80 pounds per person per year.