Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) has launched India’s first “nasal vaccine against dreaded Parvo virus” for dogs branded as Megavac-P Nasal which will protect pups as young as four to six weeks old.

Megavac-P Nasal is an intranasal vaccine containing live attenuated canine Parvovirus grown in cell culture. Hitherto only an injectable vaccine was available for vaccination against Parvo virus.

Speaking on the occasion of launch of MEGAVAC-P NASAL, Dr K Anand Kumar, MD, IIL informed, “IIL through its research is constantly looking forward to developing products with alternate delivery mechanisms that will enhance safety, efficacy and more importantly customer convenience and ease of administration.”

Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection in dogs has been associated with outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis characterized by bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, depression, leukopenia, pyrexia, dehydration, with very high mortality rate. Puppies below 6 months of age are severely affected and adult dogs having inadequate immunity suffer from the disease.

Interference of maternal antibodies, long survival rate of the virus in the environment, high infectious/contagious nature of the virus and susceptibility of the pups and weak animals are the factors that propagate the disease. Contaminated surroundings especially in kennels make it a difficult disease to control. Mortality rates are very high in affected dogs. Effective immunization is essential for the protection of the individual pet and the decrease of virus population. Live attenuated vaccines are currently used worldwide affording prolonged immunity that would confer protection against disease.

When Megavac-P Nasal gets absorbed in the mucosal membrane in the nose it generates a mucosal immune response against the Canine Parvo Virus. Some of the important advantages are that Vaccine is administered at the source of natural infection (nasal cavity), provides fast immune response leading to superior protection against disease-causing pathogens, safe, long-lasting and broad protection, less likely to cause allergic reactions and higher safety. It is extremely convenient to use the intra nasal vaccine than the injectable vaccine.

Above 10% of adult dogs suffer from Parvo, more than 30% dogs between 4-6 months of age and more than 55% for pups less than 3 months age.  This is more prevalent in stray dogs. India has above 30 million dog population which includes an estimated 10 million pets. Hence Parvo is a serious disease in canines.

IIL is No.1 in veterinary biologicals in India and is among the top animal health companies in India. IIL is in the forefront of vaccine research and has delivered affordable vaccines for the consumers in India. IIL is also the leading human anti-rabies vaccine manufacturer in India and indigenously developed country’s first tissue culture rabies vaccine- Abhayrab.

IIL introduced vaccines to prevent several zoonotic diseases and are currently being marketed in the country. The latest one is a vaccine (Cysvax) for Porcine Cysticercosis, a very important zoonotic disease that potentially causes epilepsy in humans. vaccinating pigs against porcine cysticercosis can help significantly reduce the incidence of epilepsy in humans.