Boehringer Ingelheim has announced that the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has granted a permit allowing the use of BULTAVO 3 in the United Kingdom. To manage supply and demand, use of the product will initially be subject to geographical restriction with vaccination permitted in the high-risk English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent and East Sussex.
BULTAVO 3 is an inactivated injectable vaccine indicated for the active immunisation against the bluetongue virus serotype BTV-3. In sheep, BULTAVO 3 has been shown to significantly reduce viraemia and prevent mortality and clinical signs associated with BTV-3 infection. Onset of immunity occurs three weeks after administration of a single 1ml subcutaneous dose in sheep. In cattle, two 1ml intramuscular doses are required at a three-week interval.
BTV-3, a viral infection spread by midges, is a notifiable disease in the UK. The current strain emerged in the Netherlands in 2023 and spread rapidly, infecting over 5,000 livestock farms. Infection of livestock with this serotype of the virus can result in severe clinical signs and high mortality rates, significantly impacting animal health, and farming communities.
In response to the threat of BTV-3, pharmaceutical companies and the livestock industry quickly recognised the critical need for an effective vaccine. Boehringer responded, using its expertise in emerging and transboundary diseases and working in collaboration with Bioveta, a veterinary products manufacturer with a special focus on vaccines, to rapidly develop BULTAVO 3.
Findlay MacBean, head of livestock for UK and Ireland at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “It’s great news that we can support farmers and authorities in their fight against bluetongue with our new BTV-3 vaccine, BULTAVO 3. As we have seen across Europe, and now in the UK, BTV can spread rapidly and causes considerable stress to farmers because of the significant financial impact on those affected. The availability of BULTAVO 3 means future BTV-3 outbreaks can be suppressed, helping farmers protect not only their herds, but also their livelihoods.”
“Farmers are justifiably concerned about BTV-3 and its incursion into the UK again this year,“ said Oli Maxwell, BVSc, BSc(Hons), MVM, DipECBHM, an RCVS recognised specialist in cattle health and production and clinical director of Green Counties Vets. “Reports from colleagues on the continent regarding the severity of clinical signs, especially in sheep are worrying. We have seen a huge increase in clients asking about the disease, progress on a vaccine and what this may mean for animal movements at a critical time of year. The availability of a safe and effective vaccine as a critical tool against a disease that we can’t reasonably prevent with biosecurity measures will be a welcome development for many.“
Bluetongue: a threat to animals, farmers and public health
BTV is transmitted by tiny insects called Culicoides midges. Because it requires the presence of a midge vector for transmission, it is a seasonal disease, meaning it has low incidence in winter and spring and increasing incidence in summer and autumn. There are 29 different serotypes of BTV which primarily infect ruminants.
The newly emerged serotype 3 that is currently spreading in the UK and Europe was first reported to impact sheep farms with a weekly mortality rate of around 2.5 percent in the Netherlands, while in cattle it has led to a severe decrease in milk yield. BTV3 infections are accompanied by considerable pain and suffering in the affected animals and in addition to the impact on the animals, BTV can cause severe economic losses for producers and has an impact on international trade.
