Boehringer Ingelheim hails 20 years of success in PRRS sector

Boehringer Ingelheim has celebrated the 20th anniversary of the launch of Ingelvac PRRS MLV, the first modified live vaccine for the management of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

First introduce in the US in August 1994, the product has helped swine farmers worldwide to mitigate the impact of the deadly disease, which causes reproductive failure in breeding stock and respiratory tract illness in growing pigs.

Today, Ingelvac PRRS MLV is the global market leader in the segment of PRRS vaccines, with a strong international presence in North America, Europe, Asia and beyond.

Over the last two decades, the company has also continued to fund and support additional research into the PRRS virus, with the aim of limiting its effects in pigs.

George Heidgerken, senior vice-president of animal health at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "Out of this sustained work the global pig industry has gained practical and reliable ways of managing the threat of PRRS at farm level."

This comes after the firm launched its European PRRS Research Award, a scheme that aims to encourage studies into new means of combating the disease, earlier this year.