China ag ministry rejects claims of successful ASF vaccine

China’s Ministry of Agriculture has rejected a claim that an African swine fever (ASF) vaccine developed in China has shown certain preventive effects after clinical trials.

Brian Hoskins | Freeimages.com
Brian Hoskins | Freeimages.com

China’s Ministry of Agriculture has rejected a claim that an African swine fever (ASF) vaccine developed in China has shown certain preventive effects after clinical trials.

The ministry said it has found “no scientific basis” on the reported test results of the product, a natural polysaccharide injection.

Guangdong Highsun Group Co., a property leasing and retail company, said Wednesday that it had made a commitment of CNY100 million (US$14.45 million) to ASF vaccine production. Local authorities confirmed this, according to the Global Times.

The report said product development was by Led by Xu Qitai with Jinzhu Agricultural Development Co. They claim “to have successfully developed an injection that can effectively prevent African swine fever with a minimum 92% success rate, and also owns patent rights.”

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange questioned Highsun this week after the company announced its backing of the vaccine development. Research on and handling of the virus is strictly regulated in China, and the ministry said it had not received a research application and that the company’s claims lacked scientific proof.

According to a report, “The Shenzhen exchange said it was seeking clarity on several issues, including additional data regarding the vaccine's effectiveness and whether the researchers had government approval to conduct research on the virus.”

Vaccine trials in Vietnam

Meanwhile, reports say Vietnam has found success in its initial trials of an ASF vaccine.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường said the Vietnam National University of Agriculture has focused on developing an ASF vaccine.

In a laboratory setting, the vaccine has been successful in providing immunity against the virus.

ASF is nearly 100% deadly in pigs, but poses no danger to humans. Since outbreaks began in China in August 2018, more than 1 million pigs have died as a result of the disease and the virus has spread across Asia and Europe.

View our continuing coverage of the African swine fever outbreak.

Page 1 of 50
Next Page