Hester Signs Agreement Towards Receiving Indigenously Developed Technology from Indian Council of Agricultural Research
December 28, 2022 at 11:23 am IST
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Hester has signed an agreement towards receiving indigenously developed technology from Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), for the development and commercialization of the Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H9N2 strain) Inactivated
Vaccine for poultry. The agreement was signed on 27 December 2022 at the office of Agrinnovate India, New Delhi. Agrinnovate is a government entity that acts as an interface between ICAR and the stakeholders in the agriculture sector, which includes technology transfers for vaccine manufacturing in the veterinary
sector. Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza H9N2 Strain causes comorbidity in poultry flocks throughout the year, leading to huge economic losses to the poultry farmers. The disease generally has low mortality rate up to 6% but can increase significantly in the presence of other infections. It could also lead to an
irreversible egg production drop (up to 50%) in layer birds and a performance loss in broilers. This indigenously developed inactivated H9N2 vaccine for poultry is developed using a local isolate, thereby ensuring that the vaccine is made from the local strain and not by importing any exotic strain. This development achieves the country's objective towards making India Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant). As per Agrinovate: 1. The vaccine has passed the sterility, safety, and efficacy testing in experimental trials under laboratory conditions. 2. The vaccine provides protective immunity in chickens for approximately 6 months. Hester has plans to launch this Vaccine by the end of 2023 after completing the required field studies and obtaining regulatory approvals. Besides supplying the vaccine within India, Hester intends to export this vaccine to African and Asian countries through Hester's own distribution network, where the demand for this vaccine has already
been established. The huge poultry population in India is a key source of livelihood for rural India. Until date, India had no vaccine available for Avian Influenza despite of periodic outbreaks across the country. These factors make this vaccine as having a significant commercial potential.
Hester Biosciences Limited is an India-based animal healthcare company. The Company is engaged in providing vaccines, health products and diagnostic laboratory services. The Company operates through four segments: Poultry Healthcare, Animal Healthcare, Petcare, and Others. The Animal Healthcare vaccines include Goat Pox Vaccine, Live Brucella, PPR Vaccine - Nigerian 75/1, and PPR Vaccine - Sungri/96. Its Poultry Healthcare products include Gumboro I, Gumboro I +, Inactivated Chick ND, Inactivated Coryza, Inactivated Coryza+, Inactivated EDS, Inactivated FC3, Inactivated FC4, Inactivated IB, Inactivated IB+, Inactivated IB-H52, Inactivated IBD, Inactivated IBD ND, Inactivated IBD ND EDS, Inactivated ND IB, Inactivated Pullet ND, Live B1, Live B1 M48, Live FP, Live H120, Live Las, Live Las Mas, Live M48, Live R2B, Live S-One, MD-Bivalent HVT+SB1, MD-HVT (FD), and Thermostable ND. Its Petcare products include Cefshot Tazo Injection, Hestacef CV, Hestacef DS, Hestaflam Tablet and Hestaliv.