Dalan Animal Health Receives Canadian Market Authorization for First-Ever Honeybee Vaccine

ATHENS, Ga., Oct. 16, 2023 /CNW/ -- Dalan Animal Health, Inc. ("Dalan"), the pioneering biotech company specializing in insect health, today announced it has received market authorization from the Canadian Center for Veterinary Biologics (CCVB) under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for its revolutionary honeybee vaccine for American Foulbrood (AFB), a devastating honeybee brood disease caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae.

This conditional license, which quickly follows the same approval by the United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Veterinary Biologics (USDA-CVB) for use in the U.S. market, represents a significant milestone in the company's mission to expand the reach of this transformative and sustainable animal health solution.

"One third of all crops rely on pollination, making honeybees an invaluable part of our global food supply and the health of our ecosystems," said Dr. Annette Kleiser, co-founder and CEO of Dalan Animal Health. "Our ability to provide the world's first honeybee vaccine to Canadian beekeepers is an exciting step in our plans to offer our effective solutions to this cornerstone species and its beekeeping stewards." 

According to the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA), honeybee brood disease, including AFB, continues to be a serious disease in Canada. If an AFB outbreak occurs, hives must be burned, quarantined, and/or treated with antibiotics, which is costly and time consuming. Studies conducted across Canada and the U.S. have shown the presence of P. larvae in as much as half of all hives in some regions.

A 2020 study conducted by Agriculture and Forestry of the Government of Alberta predicted AFB to cause as much as a $18.4M direct impact loss across the industry if left untreated. Because of its highly transferable nature, AFB is an ongoing challenge for beekeepers throughout Canada and globally, and to this point, could only be addressed through antibiotic use or complete hive elimination.

Dalan Animal Health's vaccine is designed to offer protection against AFB before it occurs, providing a safe and non-chemical prophylactic tool. The non-GMO vaccine can also be used in organic agriculture.

Canadian-born Carol Yelle-Harris, owner of Pope Canyon Queens, produces 20,000 honeybee queens a year through her operation based in Vacaville, California. Yelle-Harris ships her queens across the U.S. and throughout Canada each year to beekeepers. "Having worked with many Canadian beekeepers, I can attest that disease management is a substantial concern for them. While this vaccine won't solve all problems faced by our industry today, it represents a significant step in the right direction, encouraging a shift in how we prevent and tackle diseases."

The vaccine, manufactured by Diamond Animal Health, will be distributed on a limited basis to commercial beekeepers in Canada alongside importing partner ASEA Animal Health, Inc., starting in Spring 2024. Canadian beekeepers interested in safeguarding their colonies with Dalan's vaccine must do so under Veterinarian supervision. To learn more about vaccinating your hive, or purchasing vaccinated queens from the U.S., please contact Dalan Animal Health at https://www.dalan.com/contact or by calling 1-844-483-2526.

About the vaccine
Dalan's vaccine uses killed whole-cell Paenibacillus larvae bacteria and is administered by mixing it into queen feed consumed by worker bees. The vaccine is incorporated into the royal jelly by the worker bees, who then feed it to the queen. The queen ingests the vaccine, and fragments are deposited in her ovaries, providing immunity to the developing larvae. The non-GMO vaccine can be used in organic agriculture, and pivotal efficacy studies have shown its potential to reduce larval death associated with American Foulbrood infections caused by P. larvae.

About Dalan Animal Health, Inc
Dalan Animal Health (www.dalan.com) is dedicated to bringing the world transformative animal health solutions to support a more sustainable future. This platform vaccine technology uses transgenerational immune priming, allowing the maternal animal to pass immune modulators (e.g., antigens, anti-microbial molecules) to the next generation larvae before they hatch. Dalan plans to develop vaccines for other honeybee diseases and underserved industries, such as shrimp, mealworms, and insects used in agriculture. The company is headquartered in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia's Innovation Hub.

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SOURCE Dalan Animal Health, Inc.