30 June 2023

2 minute read

By: Zoetis

Europe

Zoetis has launched Protivity^®, the first in-class modified live vaccine approved to protect healthy beef and dairy calves against respiratory disease caused by M. bovis infection in the EU. It gives veterinarians and cattle producers an effective new solution against respiratory diseases caused by M. bovis for calves one week of age or older.

“We are very pleased to share that the European authorities have positively concluded the European Decentralized Procedure for the approval of Protivity, the first modified live vaccine to protect healthy beef and dairy calves against respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis),” said Jamie Brannan, President International Operations and Aquaculture at Zoetis.

“Despite different tools available to manage disease challenges, cattle farms across several EU member states continue to see M. bovis within their herds, with the main symptom being respiratory disease in calves,” said Abhijit Gurjar, Director of Global Commercial Development at Zoetis. “Protivity presents an opportunity for farmers and veterinarians to implement a preventative measure. By reducing the impact of respiratory diseases linked to M. bovis in cattle herds, this new solution is advancing care in animals and will support herd productivity, animal welfare conditions and sustainability standards for farms.”

M. bovis is a bacterial disease that causes various health issues in dairy and beef cattle, adversely impacting livestock production worldwide. It’s responsible for causing issues such as mastitis, arthritis, and bovine respiratory disease (BRD). It can have a severe impact on the welfare and productivity of the herd, leading to irreversible lung damage, mortality and high costs.

“It can be difficult to diagnose respiratory disease caused by M. bovis early in calves because clinical symptoms have a subtle onset, resulting in a limited response to antibiotic treatment and leading to poor treatment outcomes,” added Gurjar. “In conjunction with managing a calf’s environment, prevention with Protivity is the best option for producers who want to limit antimicrobial usage, improve herd health, optimize productivity and control their environmental impact.”

Consistent with the regulatory processes in the EU, the national competent authorities should issue the respective marketing authorizations within the next few weeks. This is a great milestone towards the product launch planned in the second half of 2024 in the European Union.

About Protivity

Protivity is the first in-class modified live vaccine approved to protect healthy beef and dairy calves against respiratory disease caused by M. bovis infection. By reducing the impact of clinical disease linked to M. bovis in cattle, this new solution is advancing care in animals and may benefit the farmers in herds threatened by M.bovis, increasing productivity of the herd, animal welfare conditions for animals and sustainability standards for the farm.