USDA Plans Poultry Vaccination Amid Bird Flu Crisis

The USDA considers vaccinating poultry against bird flu, aiming to evaluate the impact on exports; nearly 175 million poultry have been culled. The EU supports a conditional OK for Madrigal’s liver disease drug, Rezdiffra. WOAH declared Brazil’s bird flu outbreak resolved, supporting global poultry exports.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is contemplating a groundbreaking plan to inoculate poultry against bird flu, a move prompted by devastating virus outbreaks since 2022. This initiative seeks to balance public health and economic concerns, evaluating vaccine proposals from egg and turkey producers, who have been hard-hit by the epidemic.

In pharmaceutical news, the European Union's regulatory body has conditionally authorized Madrigal Pharmaceuticals' drug, Rezdiffra, for treating a type of fatty liver disease. This approval marks its first availability in the EU, following its initial U.S. approval last March, and offers hope to patients lacking existing treatment options.

In a positive development for global poultry trade, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has declared a recent bird flu outbreak in Brazil's commercial farms as resolved. Brazil, a top poultry exporter, reported no new cases over a 28-day monitoring period, reaffirming its status as bird flu-free.

(With inputs from agencies.)