Merial, the animal health division of Sanofi, announced Sept. 8 the global launch of a new innovation in poultry vaccination technology: an effervescent tablet vaccine for the prevention of Newcastle disease virus (NDV).

Merial said it Avinew NeO effervescent tablet is a simple, convenient and eco-friendly formulation that contains the same active ingredients as its Avinew vaccine, with comparable, high levels of safety and efficacy. Merial noted that its Avinew vaccine is the world’s leading avian vaccine in doses sold (15 billion doses in 2014) and is distributed to poultry farms in more than 80 countries on four continents.

The Avinew NeO effervescent tablet was launched at the 2015 International Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Assn. (WVPA) in Cape Town, South Africa. Merial expects to start a global roll-out of the product in the next few weeks. The Avinew NeO vaccine is the first of six planned Merial vaccines in effervescent tablet form to prevent avian diseases, the company announced.

Avinew NeO effervescent tablets replace the traditional vial and syringe vaccine application used for decades by poultry farmers worldwide. The new vaccine is designed to significantly improve vaccination practices and reduce costs for poultry producers while maintaining reliable virus protection, through:

* A simplified mixing and handling process that complies with good vaccination practices;

* Improved safety for operators and birds, and

* Environmental benefits of waste reduction, eco-friendly packaging and carbon footprint reduction during transportation.

Avinew NeO tablets are packaged in lightweight aluminum blisters and dissolved in drinking water. The vaccine is administered orally, nasally or by aerosol spray, whereby droplets enter via the mucus membranes of the birds. Merial invested more than 15 million euros at its global manufacturing site in Lyon-Porte-des-Alpes, France, for the production of the Avinew NeO vaccines.