15 June 2009
Roseland, NJ
ROSELAND, N.J., June 15, 2009 – Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced the introduction of Nobivac™ Lyme. This new-generation Lyme vaccine is the only vaccine specifically designed to provide protection by targeting two key outer surface proteins involved in the transmission of canine Lyme disease. The vaccine induces the production of highly specific antibodies, called borreliacidal antibodies, that kill Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease) by binding to outer surface proteins (Osp) A and C. The ability of Nobivac™ Lyme to stimulate borreliacidal antibodies to both OspA and OspC significantly differentiates this vaccine from other currently available products, which only protect against OspA. The unique dual-action of Nobivac™ Lyme provides an additional layer of defense against Lyme disease.
Nobivac Lyme is administered by giving two doses subcutaneously, two to four weeks apart, with an annual booster thereafter. (Data supporting one-year duration of immunity are on file with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.) Safety studies demonstrated virtually no site reactions.
Lyme disease is due to a combination of infection with the spirochete and the dog’s immune response to the infection. Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted to the dog by the bite of an infected tick. Once the tick attaches and starts taking a blood meal, the bacteria multiply in the tick’s midgut. The bacteria then migrate to the salivary glands of the tick and enter the dog’s skin at the site of attachment.
“This vaccine represents a major advance in the prevention of Lyme disease in dogs because, unlike other Lyme vaccines on the market, it induces OspC borreliacidal antibodies that can kill B. burgdorferi at multiple timepoints during the infection process,” said Rhonda LaFleur, PhD. Group Leader, Biologicals Research and Development, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. “OspA borreliacidal antibodies only kill Borrelia while they are in the tick midgut. OspC borreliacidal antibodies, however, kill spirochetes in the tick midgut, spirochetes that are migrating from the midgut to the tick’s salivary glands and spirochetes that are introduced into the dog. Nobivac™ Lyme thus provides more comprehensive protection for dogs.”
The clinical signs of disease range from subtle lameness to high fever, swollen lymph nodes, lameness, and loss of appetite. Rarely, a dog infected with Lyme disease can develop severe clinical signs that, if left untreated or treated too late, can result in permanent damage to the heart, kidneys, nervous system and joints, or can even be fatal.
“Prevention of Lyme disease is important not only for compassionate reasons but also because caring for sick dogs is expensive and time-consuming,” said Christopher Pappas, Jr, DVM, Director Technical Services, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. “The new vaccine comes at a time when reported incidences of the tick-borne illness are increasingly common.”
Ticks carrying the Lyme disease-causing bacteria have been found throughout the United States with heavy concentrations in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, upper Midwest, as well as several areas on the West Coast.
About Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health is a leader in research and dedicated to the development, production and marketing of innovative, high-quality animal-health products for all major farm and companion animal species. For more information about Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health visit: www.intervet.com and www.intervetusa.com.
Schering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription and consumer products as well as to animal health products. Schering-Plough’s vision is to “Earn Trust, Every Day” with the doctors, patients, customers and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA, and its website is www.schering-plough.com.”
SCHERING-PLOUGH DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information in this press release includes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to expectations or forecasts of future events. Schering-Plough does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from Schering-Plough’s forward-looking statements, including market forces, economic factors, product availability, patent and other intellectual property protection, current and future branded, generic or over-the-counter competition, the regulatory process, and any developments following regulatory approval, among other uncertainties. For further details about these and other factors that may impact the forward-looking statements, see Schering-Plough’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including Part II, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in the Company’s first quarter 2009 10-Q, filed May 1, 2009.
