Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) Vaccine receives conditional license from USDA

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Monday issued a conditional license to Harrisvaccines, Inc. of Ames, Iowa for a vaccine that may aid in the control of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) in swine. This is the first licensed vaccine for PEDv.

Image/Scott Bauer, U.S. Department of Agriculture

It will be used to vaccinate sows with the intent that they build antibody, and transmit that antibody through their milk to newborn piglets. It is intended to protect the piglets against PEDv.

“Using our unique rapid-response production methods, we were able to create a vaccine in a matter of weeks after the outbreak,” says Joel Harris, Head of Sales and Marketing for Harrisvaccines.  “Since late 2013, we have sold nearly 2 million doses of this vaccine through veterinary prescription and we are now thrilled to say it has been granted a USDA conditional license.”

“The impact of this disease has been devastating,” said Dr. Hank Harris, Founder and CEO of Harrisvaccines.  “At Harrisvaccines, we recognized the great threat that PEDv posed to the industry immediately and that is why we are able to introduce the first USDA conditionally licensed PEDv vaccine on the market.”

APHIS licenses veterinary biologics products for use in controlling diseases of animals.  Conditional licenses are issued based on full safety, purity testing, and an expectation of efficacy.  Preliminary studies have been promising, and they’ve shown sufficient data that we think the vaccine will be effective.  The company will continue working toward completing the requirements for a full license.  In the meantime, there are no restrictions on vaccine use under the conditional license.

According to The Pig Site, the total number of pig farm samples  that have tested positive for the PED virus since April 2013 now stands at 7,250 in 30 states. States with the most farms affected include  Iowa, 2,086; Minnesota, 1,204; Illinois, 763; North Carolina, 724 and Oklahoma, 401.

The highly contagious PEDv causes vomiting and diarrhea in older animals and extreme dehydration and mortality of up to 100 percent in piglets that are less than one week of age. PEDv is not a zoonotic disease, and therefore cannot spread to humans, but it has cost the pork industry and consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page