Newport Laboratories has been researching swine influenza virus (SIV) for many years. Members of our team have licensed commercial SIV vaccines in the past, and we are currently recognized as the industry leader with our PINPOINT Evidence-Based (autogenous) SIV vaccines.

Over the years, Newport has advanced our technology from subtyping (H1 or H3, N1 or N2) to sequencing important epitopes, to developing in-vitro (such as our high-throughput serum neutralization assay) and in-vivo (animal models) methods of identifying and selecting the correct strains and formulations.

When the novel H1N1 (nH1N1) first appeared in the spring of 2009, we immediately turned to our SIV isolate database, to determine if we had ever isolated this particular strain from pigs. We found no evidence that we had, and we quickly communicated this to our customers. We then began to look at contemporary swine SIV strains to search for any that might neutralize the nH1N1 if included in a swine vaccine. We found several. The next step was to build a vaccine containing these cross-neutralizing strains.  We submitted the resulting experimental product, as well as sera resulting from vaccination with these strains, to the USDA for testing. Both the sera and the vaccine showed a positive result against the nH1N1.

Click Here to download the informational bulletin explaining the USDA’s testing process and our results, as well as an explanation of our two-step isolate selection process.

At the same time that we were working to identify cross-neutralizing swine strains, the USDA began allowing manufacturers to develop a conditionally-licensed product containing nH1N1. Although Newport also started down this path, we are no longer pursuing it. It is our belief that the USDA should not allow this conditional product into the U.S. market until it has been proven that vaccination with the nH1N1 sequence would not potentially interfere with differential diagnostic screening based on specific genes seen in nH1N1 that have not been seen in domestic pigs to date.

In addition, we believe that the government should assist in subsidizing swine producers as they use the vaccine containing swine-origin strains that will neutralize nH1N1. This is a human disease that can be transmitted to pigs. The purpose of vaccinating is to minimize the potential spread of nH1N1 in pigs, where it could recombine and re-infect humans in a more virulent form.

We have been in contact with elected government officials asking for their support of and investigation into such a subsidy program. Several that we have spoken with have indicated that they support our position and will take action.

We are asking the USDA to consider the other regulations that they have available to them besides a conditionally licensed product. We are asking that they allow this SIV vaccine, composed of swine strains that have been shown to neutralize nH1N1, to be used in a broader manner across our domestic swineherd.

Click here to read a press release prepared by Newport explaining our progress in developing a swine vaccine for nH1N1.