Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica wins EU approval for FLEXcombo

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has been granted European approval for an innovative new combination of pig vaccines.

The EU Commission has given its backing to the simultaneous administration of the existing Boehringer Ingelheim vaccines Ingelvac CircoFLEX and Ingelvac MycoFLEX, which treat porcine circovirus disease and enzootic pneumonia.

This combination will be marketed under the brandname FLEXcombo and allows farmers to treat two of the most common pig diseases with one injection, instead of up to four.

Dr Joachim Hasenmaier, head of corporate animal health at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “It will help them tremendously in reducing the number of injections to pigs, in supporting the wellbeing of their animals and the farm economics by saving a substantial amount of labour.”

It is thought that around 70 per cent of European pigs currently receive vaccine treatments for these conditions.

This comes after the company launched an oral suspension version of Metacam earlier this month, which is designed to allow pigs to be treated for inflammation in a stress-free manner.