Full license granted to canine influenza vaccine

Roseland, N.J.

-- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted full license today to the first canine influenza vaccine, Nobivac® Canine Flu H3N8.

The licensure comes after more than a year of evaluation and use by veterinarians, according to USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The vaccine was developed by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health in response to concerns about the spread of canine influenza and a 2006 call to action from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), according to the company. It is made from inactivated virus and intended as an aid in the control of disease associated with canine influenza virus infection.

Novibac is administered over two doses, two to four weeks apart, and may given to dogs 6 weeks of age and older.

About a million doses of the vaccine already have been sold to veterinary clinics and shelters over the past year, according to the Intervet/Schering-Plough.