A New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company has secured a conditional license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its H5N2 avian influenza vaccine, developed to protect chickens from the highly contagious bird flu virus.
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a highly contagious virus that primarily affects birds but can occasionally spread to humans. The H5N2 strain, in particular, has caused significant outbreaks in poultry flocks across the U.S. The virus can lead to severe illness and death in birds, severely impacting the poultry industry and food supply.
Zoetis, the company behind the vaccine, received the approval based on safety, purity, and efficacy data, marking a key step in combating Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) granted the conditional license as more than 150 million birds in the U.S. have been impacted by avian influenza since 2022. Zoetis, with a long history of developing vaccine solutions, began working on avian flu vaccines in the early 2000s.
“When a new strain of HPAI emerged in 2022, our scientists immediately began updating our vaccine,” said Mahesh Kumar, Ph.D., senior vice president of global biologics research and development at Zoetis. “This vaccine reflects our ongoing commitment to advancing animal health and solving global challenges.”
Though the vaccine is not yet commercially available, national regulatory authorities, in collaboration with the poultry industry, will decide whether to use it on commercial poultry flocks. The company has previously developed vaccines for other avian influenza strains globally, including the H5N1 vaccine, which helped protect California condors in 2023.
With avian influenza outbreaks continuing to disrupt the poultry industry, the new bird flu vaccine offers hope for farmers and animal health professionals seeking to contain the virus and prevent further economic losses.
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