Chilean Salmon industry Invests in solutions for the ISA VirusPublished: June 10, 2009
The pharmaceutical sector seeks a solution to the crisis affecting the salmon industry, which has caused an 11% reduction of the country's industrial production.
Three important laboratories in the country have taken on the challenge to limit or lessen the effects of the Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) virus. This illness, which has caused the salmon industry to collapse with the loss of over 8000 jobs, has quickly given rise to the need for investment and research to find a solution.
The Centrovet, Corporación Farmacéutica Recalcine and Andrómaco laboratories are seeking different solutions to deal with the situation which, as Cesar Barros, President of the Association for the Chilean Salmon Industry, admitted to the El Mercurio newspaper, continues to be difficult.
The Andrómaco laboratory, through its Diagnotec branch, announced it would be launching the world's first antiviral treatment for the ISA virus in July. This comes as a result of an investment of US$ 5 million.
Meanwhile, Centrotev plans to release its vaccine on the market this month. An investment of US$ 6 million was involved in developing the product, which has been provisionally registered by the Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) and authorised by the National Fisheries Service (SERNAPESCA).
The Corporación Farmacéutica Recalcine will meet all the necessary requirements this year in order to begin vaccinating salmon with a polyvalent vaccine. This was developed in 2007 and, according to the company, was over 90% effective in tests on fish with the illness.
For now, progress is being made by making changes to the New General Fisheries and Agriculture Act. Important amendments have created administrative and legislative measures to avoid the spread of the ISA virus to other cultivation centres in the country. These changes also provide the necessary legal framework to transform the production process in the salmon industry.
Source:www.fis.com