VETERINARY health company Imugene has been granted a key patent in Japan for the product that is the basis of its poultry vaccines.
Called the Fowl Adenoviral Delivery Vector, the product is a component of all of Imugene’s products including its lead offerings the Poultry Productivity Enhancer and the Avian Influenze Vaccine.
Imugene managing director Warwick Lamb said the patent was significant because Japan was a key high value market for the company’s products.
“Further granting of the Fowl Adenoviral Delivery Vector patent throughout Asia will strengthen commercial protection of Imugene’s pending Avian Influenza Vaccine,” Dr Lamb said in an announcement.
Meanwhile, Imugene has announced that analysis of the initial batch of the test vaccine used in the Avian Influenza pilot trial, revealed a batch defect that is now being corrected.
Dr Lamb said the pilot trial results had been unexpected.
“We now know that it was the batch rather than the actual vaccine that was the problem with the pilot trial,” he said.
New trials are expected to be undertaken in 2005.