Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health celebrates 20 years of PRRS control and innovation

Twenty years ago Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health launched Ingelvac® PRRS MLV, the first Modified Live Vaccine (MLV) for the management of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). PRRS infects pigs around the globe causing reproductive failure in breeding stock and respiratory tract illness in growing pigs. As a result, pigs suffer and die – causing economic damage to swine farmers worldwide.

Costs and losses due to PRRS were a major concern to swine farmers when Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health launched Ingelvac® PRRS MLV vaccine in 1994. The vaccine was first introduced to US veterinarians in August of that year and soon was being made available internationally.

The vaccine’s two decades of outstanding success in combating PRRS is only one part of the anniversary in 2014. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is also celebrating 20 years of highly productive collaborations with swine farmers, veterinarians and researchers around the world to manage this major pig disease.

“The journey over the last 20 years has given us the opportunity to work on consolidating our knowledge about PRRS as well as maximizing the use of our vaccine as one of the key tools for controlling the disease,” states George Heidgerken, Senior Vice President of Animal Health at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are proud of the fact that in the 20 years since we launched Ingelvac® PRRS MLV vaccine, we have been instrumental in funding and supporting research into the PRRS virus and limiting its effects in pigs. Out of this sustained work the global pig industry has gained practical and reliable ways of managing the threat of PRRS at farm level.”

Supported by the results of international research regarding virus persistence and disease transmission, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health also strives to find solutions beyond the vaccine bottle through the creation of a systematic process for PRRS control. In the future, the company will continue to work with its customers in the pig industry in an effort to find ways to overcome the virus in all its forms.

Today, Ingelvac® PRRS MLV is the global market leader in the segment of PRRS vaccines. The vaccine has a strong worldwide presence, from North America to Europe and Asia.