Bluetongue vaccines delivered into the open market

The vaccine – available in 50ml and 10ml bottles – is the first to be released outside of the Defra tendering process after it received authorisation from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate last week.

Unlike its competitors’ vaccines, the product is only available for use in cattle and also requires two 2ml doses compared to the two 1ml doses used in both Intervet and Merial’s vaccines currently on the market.

Despite the increased dosage however, the firm’s managing director John Hanley said it would be ‘competitive per dose against other products in the market’.

The move towards an open market will come as a good sign for next year’s vaccination campaign, which could see enough vaccine available earlier in the year to allow vaccination to start before the summer risk period.