MSD Animal Health launches AQUAVAC® S7 in Norway, supporting preventative salmon health.
- AQUAVAC® S7 is a heptavalent, oil-based vaccine for farmed Atlantic salmon, manufactured without serum.
- Introduced to the Norwegian market at ‘The Art of What’s Possible’ event in Bergen on 20 October, the vaccine advances MSD Animal Health’s commitment to fish health and welfare.
- A poll of event participants highlights the importance of preventative health to the future of European salmon production.
MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE: MRK), has announced the launch of AQUAVAC® S7 in Norway. The heptavalent, oil-based vaccine for farmed Atlantic salmon was introduced to the Norwegian market at the company’s ‘The Art of What’s Possible’ event at Grieghallen in Bergen on 20th October, which brought together salmon industry leaders, scientists, veterinarians and innovators from across Europe and beyond to discuss the future of aquaculture.
Advancing Vaccine Innovation for Salmon Health
Following Norwegian marketing authorisation earlier this year, AQUAVAC® S7 gives farmers and fish health professionals a new option for vaccination programmes that include protection against yersiniosis. The heptavalent, oil-based vaccine is manufactured without serum and reflects MSD Animal Health’s continued investment in preventative approaches to fish health and welfare. While traditional viral vaccines use Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS) during factory cell growth, AQUAVAC S7 is built completely without serum components. This product is a heptavalent (seven-component),serum-free vaccine specifically developed for farmed Atlantic salmon. This enhances fish safety and reduces the footprint of animal-derived items. 1
This new vaccine offering is indicated for active immunisation of Atlantic salmon to reduce mortality caused by infections with Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV), Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida (furunculosis), Aliivibrio salmonicida (cold-water
vibriosis), Vibrio anguillarum serotype O1 and O2a (vibriosis), Moritella viscosa (winter ulcer disease), and Yersinia ruckeri (yersiniosis).
The vaccine is supplied in a total dose volume of 0.05 mL. Onset of immunity is 469 degree days (dd) for M. viscosa, 500 dd for all other bacterial components, and 517 dd for IPNV. Duration of immunity is seven months for IPNV and 12 months for the bacterial components.
Its development follows years of research focused on advancing vaccination options for Atlantic salmon while addressing evolving needs in fish health and welfare.
“This vaccine represents a market innovation not only in how it works, but in how it can be used. As it includes Yersinia ruckeri, this serum-free vaccine represents a good combination for customers who want to protect against yersiniosis,” said Dafydd Morris, Executive Director, Aqua Lead – EURAM, MSD Animal Health.
Putting Preventative Health at the Centre of Aquaculture
The importance of innovation in vaccine technology to the future of the salmon industry was reinforced at the launch event by a poll of the expert audience. When asked to identify the single most critical factor in ensuring European salmon consistently meets premium global quality and safety standards, 73% of respondents selected preventative health.
Furthermore, when asked about which innovation would have the greatest impact on aquaculture over the next five years, 25% said next-generation multivalent vaccines, the second highest answer after AI-driven predictive monitoring (50%).
“At MSD Animal Health we firmly believe that preventative health is the foundation for food security. Through the launch of AQUAVAC® S7 and by events that allow scientific exchange such as ‘The Art of What’s Possible’, MSD Animal Health is supporting farmers and fish health professionals with vital tools and knowledge that will benefit fish, people and ultimately society,” said Morris. “Innovation that improves fish health and welfare is essential for the continued development of the industry, as biology ultimately sets the limits for growth.”
Bringing Science and Industry Together
More than 100 aquaculture leaders from several countries attended ‘The Art of What’s Possible’. Alongside a dedicated AQUAVAC® S7 launch session for fish health personnel, a wider programme welcomed participants from across the aquaculture industry to explore how vaccine research, artificial intelligence, economics and behavioural science could help tackle some of the sector’s challenges. Contributors included Rodrigo Belmonte, Aquaculture
Research Director at MSD Animal Health Innovation; Øystein Evensen, Professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU); Kari Rolfsjord, Senior Manager at Menon Economics; Lene Høgset, MSD Animal Health’s EURAM Aqua Customer Service Lead; and Professor Ingvard Wilhelmsen.
Closing remarks from Stephanie Steeves, Global Swine & Aqua Business Unit Lead at MSD Animal Health, reinforced the importance of continued innovation and collaboration to support fish health, welfare and sustainable production. “As our understanding of fish welfare continues to evolve, so does our responsibility to apply that knowledge in ways that support healthier fish and better outcomes for the industry,” said Steeves. The Norwegian launch of AQUAVAC® S7 provided a practical example of that commitment, translating vaccine research into a new preventative-health option for salmon farmers and fish health professionals.
Image: Dafydd Morris, Executive Director, Aqua Lead – EURAM, MSD Animal Health
