FDA clears vaccine to fight bird flu

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the country’s first vaccine against avian influenza, a development the Department of Agriculture (DA) described as a boost to the national food security drive.

“With the FDA’s approval of Volvac B.E.S.T. AI plus ND, the poultry sector now has a strong line of defense against a virus that threatens both food security and human health,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said Wednesday.

“(We) have always worked closely to ensure that only safe and effective livestock vaccines reach our market,” he said.

The vaccine, Volvac B.E.S.T. AI plus ND, provides immunity against the highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1, while also stimulating defenses against velogenic Newcastle disease. 

Both diseases are highly contagious and deadly to poultry, with H5N1 also posing risks to humans.

Volvac B.E.S.T. is administered by injection to birds at least 10 days old, with full immunity developing within 10 to 14 days.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the poultry sector, including eggs, generated P362 billion in production value in 2024.