Company says it received conditional approval for bird flu vaccine from US Department of Agriculture

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Health

Published 2:21 PM EST, Sun February 16, 2025


CNN — The US Department of Agriculture last week issued a conditional license for an avian flu vaccine for use in chickens, amid an outbreak ravaging poultry flocks, contributing to the sky-high price of eggs. Zoetis, the manufacturer behind the vaccine, announced the conditional approval Friday, saying in a news release its scientists had begun updating its existing avian flu vaccine in 2022.

“We’ve been working with the administration and with Congress, and we’re very excited today to get the licensure for (the vaccine) in poultry, which we think will be a tool that we will help support the government as they deem necessary,” Zoetis CEO Kristin Peck told CNBC on Friday.

The conditional license was granted based on the “the demonstration of safety, purity, and reasonable expectation of efficacy,” Zoetis said. A conditional license can generally be used to address an emergency situation or special circumstance, the company noted, and is issued for a set period of time.

The company has previously developed vaccines for avian flu, including one used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to protect California condors in 2023, Zoetis said, noting, “The decision to vaccinate commercial poultry flocks rests solely with national regulatory authorities in consultation with their local poultry sector,” the company’s news release said. CNN reached out to the USDA for comment Sunday.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/16/health/bird-flu-vaccine-zoetis-avian/index.html

[Lunabell]

1. That's great, but

dumbassed RFKjr will put the kibosh on it.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Except that it is one of the odd ones approved by USDA/APHIS and NOT HHS/FDA

(usually FDA's CVM (Center for Veterinary Medicine) does some animal stuff, but there is quite a bit of overlap between FDA and APHIS with respect to overseeing certain animals and animal products used for food)

[OldBaldy1701E]

3. You mean that recently gutted Department of Agriculture? That one? (n/t)

[JoseBalow]

4. "vaccine for use in chickens" ... but not for people

They care more about farm animals than they do Americans.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. The "people" vaccine research is being overseen by a DIFFERENT Department

HHS (FDA/CDC/NIH).

[JoseBalow]

10. Yes, overseen by a vaccine denier

We're screwed

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Well we are watching a preventable measles outbreak in TX

(and recently in NM) so maybe some people will start to "get it" (although many still refused with COVID).

[JoseBalow]

12. I hope so. It would be nice if we had leaders who, well, led

So easily preventable

[Bayard]

5. Have they ever tried to vaccinate a chicken?

I wanted to bring my flock, and the ducks/geese with me when I moved back from Calif. Poor vet had a hellofa time. Plus they all had to be banded.

I'm assuming if commercial flocks are vaccinated the risk to humans will go way down.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. I would imagine it's flocking hard. n/t

[LeftInTX]

7. When I was in high school, we gave chickens growth hormone shots!

I was sophomore and we had to lift their wings. I got some other kid to do it for me. Yes, we did medical experiments on frick'n chickens in 1971!

We also dissected LIVE frogs in the same class. We pithed their spines and pinned their legs and gave them vasoconstrictors and vasodilators and observed what happened to their blood vessels. And yes, I bribed another student to pith that damn frog's spinal cord!
Afterward, we threw them in a bucket.

[modrepub]

9. Well If It Has The Same Success Rate As Human Flu Shots

then there is not much hope that this will do much.

Human flu shots are largely ineffective because there are so many varients of the flu and they never know what strain is going to prevelent during flu season. If that holds up for bird flu. Keep in mind this doesn't even consider that flu strains evolve quickly into other variants so who knows how long any shot will be effective.

My worry is Trump will cut corners and we'll get some deadly pandemic out of all of this.