STARTVAC

ARTICLE RELATING TO THE BENEFITS OF STARTVAC

Tipperary company announces breakthrough vaccine for Irish Dairy Industry 

-------NEW VACCINE TO OFFER HUGE ADVANTAGES TO IRISH FARMERS IN FIGHT AGAINST MASTITIS.------

A  Co Tipperary company has just announced the arrival of the very first Vaccine against Ecoli ,Staph Aureus and Coagulase-negative Staphylococcl to the Irish market. Following a lengthy licensing period, The EMA (European Medicine Agency) in association with the Irish Medicines Board have granted a license for the vaccine Startvac, allowing it to be distributed and used in Ireland. It will be the very first vaccine of its kind to be made available to Irish farmers and will go some way to help alleviate the increasing costs incurred by farmers associated with mastitis. Duggan Veterinary Supplies, a veterinary distributor based in Holycross, Co.Tipperary are responsible for bringing this pioneer vaccine to the Irish market , and  expect it to become commercially available mid-2010. It is quite a coup for the Tipperary based company as a number of well know international multinational pharmaceutical companies had failed to secure a licence for similar vaccines over the past 10 years.

Startvac, is manufactured by Hipra who are a Spanish pharmaceutical company based in Girona. The company was founded in 1954 and  currently has  Startvac available commercially in 15 other countries across the EU, including Spain,  and Denmark.  Hipra is dedicated to researching, manufacturing and marketing veterinary products, particularly biological and pharmacological specialities. In recent years, in co-operation with Duggan Veterinary , it has launched a number of ground breaking generics onto  the Irish Market with great success .Hipra actively takes part in the creation, innovation and promotion of products and services that improve the health of animal herds while, at the same time, protecting animal welfare and the environment.

Startvac as a vaccine works by ‘teaching’ the immune system of the animal (the cow’s natural defences) how to defend itself against a disease. Startvac contains dead forms of two bacteria that normally cause mastitis (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). When it is given to a cow, the animal’s immune system recognises the bacteria as ‘foreign’ and makes antibodies against them. In the future, the immune system will be able to make the antibodies more quickly when it is exposed to the bacteria again. The antibodies will help to fight the bacteria, preventing mastitis occurring or reducing the severity of its symptoms. It is important to note that Startvac reduces mastitis post partum, and does not simply eliminate mastitis. A well maintained herd health plan must be carried out in conjunction with the use of Startvac if mastitis is to be dealt with successfully in the herd.    Startvac reduces mastitis post partum, which in turn reduces the somatic cell count of dairy cows and this will aid the Irish dairy farmer in his efforts to secure improved bonuses due to the production of milk with improved lower cell count. With current milk prices now well below a price high of  .48cent in 2008, this will be of particular interest  to Irish dairy farmers who have been heavily penalised  in the past for supplying  milk with high somatic cell count to their co-operatives. With the price of milk being at an all time low and the ever increasing importance of milk quality bonuses, Startvac will play a valuable role in aiding famers whose herds suffer from high somatic cell counts, get the maximum financial return from milk  production.  

Any queries on Startvac can be sent to Startvac@dugganvet.ie and a full product description   is currently available at  www.dugganvet.ie/startvac.htm