Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has received two important label extensions from health care authorities for the vaccines Ingelvac PRRS MLV and Ingelvac M.hyo, which reflects the company's efforts to strengthen and improve its swine vaccines portfolio.

In January, the United States Department of Agriculture has approved the Ingelvac PRRS MLV Vaccine for whole-herd mass vaccination in PRRS-positive herds.

This new product claim for Ingelvac PRRS MLV vaccine provides pork producers with another much needed management tool to help them achieve a simultaneous and high level of immunity for the entire breeding herd when dealing with the impact of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). Whole-herd vaccination has been proven safe and effective in pigs, gilts and sows at any age of production in PRRS-positive herds.

The strategic objective of whole-herd vaccination in PRRS-positive herds is to eliminate any naïve subpopulations within a herd. "This is important since field strains of the PRRS virus appear to spread more readily and chronically circulate when carrier pigs shed virus to subpopulations of naïve pigs in the same population. This new claim provides the whole sow herd with immunization without inducing disease." said Dr. Leuchs, member of the board of managing directors at Boehringer Ingelheim, responsible for Animal Health.

Another Boehringer Ingelheim swine vaccine, the one-shot Ingelvac M.hyo, the vaccine for active immunisation of pigs against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, is now approved and available in the EU with an extended label claim.

According to the new label, Ingelvac M.hyo provides onset of protection within 2 weeks after vaccination. This represents the fastest onset of protection approved for any Mycoplasma vaccine in the EU. Piglets vaccinated at weaning are therefore protected at an age of 5-6 weeks, well in advance of field infections which rarely occur earlier than 8-12 weeks of age.

"The new label claim is very important for producers and veterinarians because fast onset of protection guarantees greatest one-shot efficacy, especially in highly challenging field situations" explains Dr Joachim Hasenmaier, Head of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health GmbH.