Sinovac receives production license in China for animal rabies vaccine
Sinovac Biotech (NASDAQ:SVA) announced Tuesday its wholly owned subsidiary, Tangshan Tian Biological Engineering, has received a production license from China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) for the production of its inactivated animal rabies vaccine, RabEnd.
"Receiving the production license for our animal rabies vaccines is a significant milestone as it represents the final step in the regulatory process before we launch this vaccine in China," said Sinovac president and CEO, Dr. Weidong Yin.
"Our inactivated vaccine, which is manufactured based on the local occurring rabies virus strain, provides pet owners in China with an inactivated animal rabies vaccine with improved effectiveness and competitive quality."
The rabies virus passes easily between humans and animals through close contact with infected saliva. Both domestic and wild animals are at risk, though vaccination is an effective strategy for protection. In China, an estimated 2,400 people die each year from rabies, and 99% of cases are caused by virus transmission from dogs.
In January 2008, the Chinese MOA made rabies vaccination mandatory for the estimated 80 million to 200 million dogs in the country.
Sinovac said it has teamed up with distributors to make RabEnd the first China-developed and -manufactured inactivated animal rabies vaccine in the country. It is available to pet owners through various Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and veterinary clinics and hospitals.
On the Nasdaq Exchange, Sinovac shares rose 3.4% to $2.43 per share as of 3:06 pm EDT.
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