E. coli 0157:H7 used in commercial cattle for first time
Sep. 24, 2007
BELLEVILLE, Ontario -- Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. today announced that its vaccine against E. coli O157:H7 in cattle has been used for the first time by a commercial beef producer.
Top Meadow Farms, an Ontario-based producer of premium beef, integrated use of the E. coli O157:H7 vaccine into its Top in Field(TM) cattle rearing standards, under the auspices of Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations governing the sale of the vaccine in Canada.
"Top Meadow is committed to producing beef that is of the best possible taste and healthfulness," stated Kym Anthony, owner of Top Meadow Farms. "The Bioniche vaccine provides an important pre-harvest intervention against E. coli O157:H7 that we are very pleased to add to our CFIA-audited Top in Field(TM) feed and husbandry protocols."
Graeme McRae, president and CEO of Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., said, "The adoption of our vaccine by Top Meadow Farms provides evidence that a beef producer recognizes the environmental and public health benefits that can result from reducing the shed of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria by cattle. Shed bacteria can contaminate food, water and the environment, and human exposures to this pathogen result in an estimated 100,000 cases of illness per year in North America."
The vaccine remains under review by The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and USDA. In the course of its review process, the CFIA notified Bioniche last December that it was agreeable to issuing permits under the Permit to Release Veterinary Biologics regulations. These regulations allow cattle owners, through their veterinarians, to request vaccine be supplied to them by Bioniche.
Since that time, Bioniche has commenced production of the E. coli O157:H7 cattle vaccine at its Belleville, Ontario, facility. This supply is now being provided to veterinarians requesting vaccine under the Canadian Permit to Release regulations. Bioniche will continue to scale up as full domestic and international approvals are received. Until such approvals are received, all vaccine will be shipped to Canadian veterinarians as permit requests are received and approved by the CFIA.
In order to progress from shipping under permits to a full license, the CFIA indicated that Bioniche was required to provide additional data confirming reduction in E. coli O157:H7 shedding by vaccinated animals. This information was provided to the CFIA in the spring and is currently under review.
Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. is a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of proprietary products for human and animal health markets worldwide. The fully-integrated company employs approximately 195 skilled personnel and has three operating divisions: Human Health, Animal Health, and Food Safety. The Company's primary goal is to develop proprietary cancer therapies supported by revenues from marketed products in human and animal health.
SOURCE: Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. via PR Newswire.
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