Vaccine company receives USDA license to produce first Platform Vaccines for cattle industry

The USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) has given animal health company, Medgene, licensure to produce and market a USDA-approved category of vaccines, Platform Vaccines, to the cattle industry. According to the release,¹ the cattle Platform Vaccines available to licensed veterinarians include influenza D, coronavirus, rotavirus, and papillomavirus.

Andy Smythe, Medgene national sales manager, announces platform vaccine licensure for the cattle industry (Photo courtesy of Medgene).

Medgene's vaccine use USDA-approved "platform technology" guidelines that are safe and can be adapted to various animal disease targets.¹ This leads to the development of vaccines and an understanding of how diseases travel across species and geographies within a fraction of the time of traditional vaccine approaches.

In 2010, Alan Young, PhD, chief technology officer for Medgene, began pivotal work in Platform Vaccine technology.¹ "Vaccines have come a long, long way since their first use in the late 1700s. We've learned that diseases, no matter what the species, have a lot in common. But by focusing on the unique genetic components that are different, we can create vaccines that are far more efficient,” he said in the release.¹

"For the veterinarian, Platform Technologies improve our option in providing care. We can identify a disease and provide a vaccine within weeks instead of years. For animal owners, that can mean tremendous differences in the health of their animals,” added Bob Gentry, DVM, advocate of Platform Vaccines.¹

Medgene announced its receipt of USDA licensure on June 9, 2023, at an event held at Iowa State University's Research Park facility in Ames, Iowa. "Getting Platform Vaccines to market has been a team effort. From government regulatory to university research to the extraordinary team at Medgene, Platform Vaccines are a historic example of teamwork towards a common goal - improving animal health,” said Medgene CEO Mark Luecke.¹

Reference

Historic milestone in animal health care reached by South Dakota vaccine company. News release. Medgene. June 12, 2023. Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/historic-milestone-in-animal-health-care-reached-by-south-dakota-vaccine-company-301848550.html