Merck Animal Health Introduces New Vaccine to Protect against PRRS

September 10, 2014 — 

Merck Animal Health has announced the introduction of PRIME PAC™ PRRS+, a vaccine for reducing clinical signs of reproductive disease in female breeding-age swine and respiratory disease in pigs 3 to 4 weeks of age and older due to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv). [Source: Merck Animal Health, Sept. 9, 2014].

“Due to the economic impact and high prevalence of PRRS in the U.S. swine herd, vaccination is crucial,” says Karen Lehe, D.V.M., DACVPM, swine senior account manager, Merck Animal Health. “Vaccination stabilizes the herd’s PRRS immunity and reduces the potential of virus circulation. It also offers producers an option that better meets the needs of their changing production practices – a labeled 2 mL dose for sows, as well as a 1 mL dose for pigs.”

Results of several respiratory and reproductive challenge trials using both heterologous (different structure from vaccine virus) and homologous (same structure as virus used to make vaccine) PRRSv strains demonstrated the safety and efficacy of Prime Pac PRRS+. Clinical trial results also showed that vaccination significantly reduced viremia and the clinical signs of PRRSv, and provided four months duration of immunity, helping the herd remain as productive as possible.

PRIME PAC PRRS+ is available in convenient 20 mL and 100 mL packages, as well as a 600-sow/1200-piglet-dose Bulk Pac. To learn more about PRIME PAC PRRS+, visit http://www.PrimePacPRRS.com.