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Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development 
CARD Project Progress Report 
001/04VIE 
Diagnosis and control of diarrhoea in suckling pigs 
 MILESTONE 5: Vaccine produced and efficacy tested 
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Table of Contents 
1. INSTITUTE INFORMATION ...........................................................................................................................3 
2. PROJECT ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................................4 
3. MS ACHIEVEMENTS.......................................................................................................................................4 
4. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................................8 
APPENDIX ONE:..........................................................................................................................................................9 
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1. Institute Information 
Project Name Diagnosis and control of diarrhoea in suckling pigs 
Vietnamese Institution National Institute of Veterinary Research (NIVR) 
Vietnamese Project Team Leader Dr. Cu Huu Phu 
Australian Organisation The University of Queensland/Victorian Department of 
Primary Industry 
Australian Personnel Dr Darren Trott, Dr Ian Wilkie, Dr Tony Fahy 
Date commenced April 13th 2005 
Completion date (original) January 2007 
Completion date (revised) April 2008 
Reporting period March 2006-March 2008 
 Contact Officer(s) 
In Australia: Team Leader 
Name: Dr Darren Trott Telephone: 617 336 52985 
Position: Associate Professor of Veterinary 
Science 
Fax: 617 336 51355 
Organisation School of Veterinary Science The 
University of Qld 
Email: 
[email protected] 
In Australia: Administrative contact 
Name: Melissa Anderson Telephone: 61 7 33652651 
Position: Manager Research Projects Office Fax: 61 7 33651188 
Organisation School of Land and Food The 
University of Qld 
Email: 
 In Vietnam 
Name: Dr Do Ngoc Thuy Telephone: 84 4 8693923 
Position: Head of Bacteriology Department Fax: 84 4 8694082 
Organisation NIVR Email: 
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2. Project Abstract 
This project is designed to improve the productivity of smallholder pig farmers in Vietnam 
through improved health management, particularly of piglets during the pre-weaning period. 
Additional to the health management plan the project will develop and implement appropriate 
rapid diagnostic tests for the principal causes of pre-weaning diarrhoea to improve speed and 
accuracy of laboratory diagnosis. The third part of the project seeks to improve the production 
and efficacy of a locally-manufactured E. coli vaccine for the control and prevention of neonatal 
colibacillosis. In this phase, the E. coli vaccine, based on three major strains identified and 
characterized by Dr Do Ngoc Thuy during her PhD studies, was tested for safety and efficacy 
and is now being produced by the National Institute of Veterinary Research. The vaccine is 
currently being used in a related CARD project (A blueprint for smallholder pig production 
XXXX) . 
3. MS achievements 
This report documents progress on the following deliverables for MS 5 (linked to the project 
logframe objective 1: Production and testing of locally produced E. coli vaccine): 
1. Vaccine strains characterized. 
2. Combined vaccine produced and available. 
3. Efficacy testing completed, results analysed and reported. 
4. Analysis of benefit:cost of local vaccine production 
5. Strategies and pathways for commercial vaccine production and distribution 
Evidence: 
1) Vaccine strains characterized: This is extensively detailed in Appendix 1 of the recently 
submitted MS 3 and MS 6 report. The vaccine Master Seed (50 x 1ml vials of each of the 
three vaccine strains in Brain Heart Infusion broth plus 12% glycerol) is held in a -80oC 
freezer at NIVR. Backup freeze dried cultures are also held at NIVR in case of a 
catastrophic freezer failure (if the -80oC freezer breaks down, the strains can be held at -
20oC for a short duration). Each time the vaccine is prepared according to the protocol 
outlined in Appendix 2 of the MS 3 and MS 6 report, a new vial of the Master Seed is 
subcultured and checked for purity. This then becomes the Working Seed for vaccine 
preparation, with the number of subcultures kept to an absolute minimum and culture 
conditions used for maximum fimbriae expression. Backup cultures are also held at The 
AQIS approved laboratory of The University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science 
(Managed by Associate Professor Darren Trott) and the OIE E. coli reference laboratory 
at The University of Montreal (managed by Prof John Fairbrother). 
2) Combined vaccine produced and available: This is extensively detailed in Appendix 2 in 
the recently submitted MS 3 and MS 6 report. It should be remembered that currently the 
vaccine is unregistered and as such, it has only been produced in small amounts for the 
Northern herds that took part in the initial surveys in 2005/2006 and for the central 
provinces of Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue, as part of the fulfilment of the 004/05VIE 
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project. Thus far, no vaccine reactions, ill-health or poor efficacy have been reported, 
though it must be remembered that no samples for piglets with diarrhoea in the first week 
of life have been obtained from vaccinated herds to 100% confirm efficacy (this will be 
conducted in the field trial to be held in Central Vietnam on test and control farms). 
Anecdotal reports from Northern herds and from Central Vietnam suggest that the vaccine 
achieves excellent protection from neonatal diarrhoea during the first week of life, 
however again this has not been substantiated in a controlled trial. Vaccine production 
records from NIVR are as follows: 
Record of vaccine production 
2006 
Testing Bach 
No. 
No. of 
doses Safety Sterility 
Note (vaccinated province) 
1 205 X X Thai Binh 
2 576 X X Thai Binh, Hai Phong 
3 1.008 X X Thai Binh, Ha Tay, Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen 
2007 
Testing Bach 
No. 
No. of 
doses Safety Sterility 
Note (vaccinated province) 
1 300 X X Hai Duong, Phu Tho 
2 807 X X Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen 
3 2015 X X Hai Phong, Ha Tay, Ninh Binh, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc 
2008 
Testing Bach 
No. 
No. of 
doses Safety Sterility 
Note (vaccinated province) 
1 407 X X Ha Tay 
2 986 X X Thai Binh, Hai Phong 
3 2010 X X Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hue, 
Quang Tri 
4 1786 X X Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Hai Phong 
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2009 
Testing Bach 
No. 
No. of doses 
Safety Sterility 
Note (vaccinated 
province) 
1 820 X X Hue, Quang Tri 
3) Efficacy testing completed, results analysed and reported: A full report on the efficacy 
testing of the vaccine in small scale trials, in terms of protection afforded to neonatal 
piglets, safety of the vaccine and comparison with existing commercial vaccines for 
induction of specific protective antibody levels was detailed in Appendix 3 of the MS 3 
and 6 report. Experiments involving live animals are expensive and we believe that the 
testing undertaken thus far for 001/04VIE satisfies this deliverable. As part of 004/05VIE, 
we plan to conduct a field trial in Central Vietnam encorporating a study of the major 
causes of pre-weaning diarrhoea in test demonstration and control farms. As such 
progress on this deliverable will be reported in the project validation and final reports for 
004/05VIE in early 2010. 
4) Analysis of benefit:cost of local vaccine production: A detailed benefit:cost analysis of 
the local vaccine vs imported vaccine vs treatment only vs no treatment is provided 
below. 
Table 1: Benefit:cost analysis of locally produced NIVR E. coli vaccine vs imported commercial 
vaccines (price comparison). 
Vaccine Characteristics 
Pfizer Litterguard Intervet EcoVac NIVR Vaccine 
Type of vaccine Killed whole cell plus 
toxoid 
Killed whole cell Killed whole cell 
Components 
(Fimbriae) 
F4, F5, F6, F41 
(also Clostridium 
toxin) 
F4, F5, F6, F41 F4, F5, O8 F19 
(3 strains)* 
Cost per dose (Dong) 20,000 VND 20,000 VND 4,000 VND 
*To date, only three fimbrial types have been identified in neonatal piglets with colibacillosis in 
Vietnam, F4, F5 and the new F19 antigen. 
It is difficult to estimate the direct costs resulting from mortality and stunted growth of 
smallholder piglets due to neonatal colibacillosis. In many cases, the disease occurs so rapidly 
that neonatal piglets are found dead or in a severe state with dehydration, metabolic acidosis and 
profuse, watery diarrhoea. Based on current 2009 prices for weaner Mong Cai piglets (and not 
including the fact that in 004/05VIE, we are trying to organize a breeders collective, providing 
breeder Mong Cai weaners to other farmers at much higher prices), the following scenarios 
provide some estimate of benefit:cost. 
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Scenario 1: Farmer does not use any vaccine for neonatal colibacillosis and the litter dies or 
their health is severely compromised: 
Costs of doing nothing (loss of all pigs): 
Average price per weaner: 70,000-80,000 VND (for fattening); 160,000 VND (for breeder) 
Average litter size weaned: 10 
Estimated loss: 700,000-1,600,000 VND per litter (not including costs of maintaining sow until 
next pregnancy). 
Scenario 2: Successful treatment of sick piglets 
Costs of medication (fluids and electrolytes, antimicrobials): 
- Note most smallholder farmers are using fluoroquinolones which are banned in Australia for the 
treatment of food-producing animals (and no withholding periods in Vietnam). This has an 
important public health impact that will need to be addressed in the future as fluoroquinolones are 
important drugs in human medicine and resistance is growing. 
Cost per treatment: 
Antimicrobials: 6,000 VND per pig 
Electrolytes: 10,000 VND per pig 
Labour/syringes: 5,000 VND per pig 
Reduced growth rates of sick pigs: 20,000 VND per pig 
Total cost: 41,000 VND per pig 
Number of pigs weaned = 8 (assuming that two pigs die despite treatment) 
Total costs: 410,000 VND 
Scenario 3: Pfizer Litterguard used to prevent neonatal colibacillosis. 
20,000 VND x 2 doses 
Labour: 5,000 VND per injection 
Total costs: 50,000 VND per litter 
Scenario 4: NIVR E. coli vaccine 
4,000 VND x 2 doses 
Labour: 5,000 VND per injection 
Total costs: 18,000 VND per litter 
Cost-benefit analysis based on minimum price for pig sales based on a littersize of 10 piglets 
weaned. 
Summary 
Do nothing Treatment Pfizer 
Littergard 
NIVR Vaccine 
Costs 700,000 328,000 50,000 18,000 
Income nil 560,000* 700,000 700,000 
Profit/loss -700,000 232,000 650,000 688,000 
*Assuming that two piglets die per litter despite treatment. 
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5) Strategies and pathways for commercial vaccine production and distribution. 
This has proven to be the most difficult deliverable to negotiate. NIVR continues to produce the 
vaccine for research purposes, as attested by the vaccine records, but registration requires a 
detailed document to be submitted to the Department of Animal Health (Appendix ONE with this 
report). Most of the requirements for registration, including safety and efficacy have been met by 
the current project, with the final trial in central Vietnam providing necessary field efficacy data. 
NIVR Bacteriology Laboratory is not experienced in the commercialization of its discoveries, 
therefore we suggest partnership between the two major local vaccine manufacturers that hold 
GMP/GLP licenses, NAVETCO (for the south of Vietnam) and the National Veterinary Factory 
(for the north) to complete the registration dossier. Prior to this occurring however, we advise that 
the project hire a patent attorney to assist Dr Do Ngoc Thuy, the inventor of the vaccine to lodge 
a patent application with the Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam within the Ministry of 
Science and Technology. Once this is obtained, negotiations may be commenced whereby the 
level of royalties returning to the sole inventor and the NIVR laboratory are clearly indicated. The 
assistance of the CARD programme management team is also requested to foster negotiations 
with the Department of Animal Health and other major stakeholders. This will ensure that delays 
are kept to a minimum and that the vaccine becomes readily available for use by smallholder 
farmers. Such a strategy towards commercialization could also be used for other NIVR vaccines, 
such as the NIVR oedema disease vaccine that has excellent efficacy but is currently 
unregistered. Oedema disease is also a major problem faced by smallholder farmers. 
4. Conclusion 
The deliverables for MS 5 have been achieved within the project logframe. Given the success of 
the final field trial in central Vietnam, we anticipate that it will be a further 12 months before the 
vaccine becomes available. NIVR will continue to supply small batches of the vaccine for 
research purposes, particularly in the extension projects planned for 2010 in central Vietnam and 
to confirm the continued safety and efficacy of the product. 
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APPENDIX: 
GUIDELINES FOR REGISTRATION OF VETERINARY MEDICINES IN VIETNAM 
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE 
AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT 
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HEALTH 
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM 
Independence-Freedom-Happiness 
No: 788 /TY-QLT Hanoi, 05 December 2003 
GUIDANCE 
ON THE REGISTRATION PROCEDURES FOR 
OBTAINMENT, MODIFICATION AND RENEWAL OF MARKETING 
AUTHORIZATIONS OF VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS IN VIETNAM 
 Pursuant to “the Regulation on the Implementation of the Ordinance on Veterinary 
Services”, “the Rule on Veterinary Medicine Management” issued under Governmental 
Decree 93/CP dated on 27 November 1993. 
 Pursuant to "Promulgation of the Regulation on the Procedures for Registering Veterinary 
Drug Manufacture, Trade, Trial, Quality Control and Micro-organism Strains used by the 
Veterinary Services" issued under Decision No.194 NN-TY/QĐ dated on 31 December, 1994 of 
the Minister of Agriculture and Food industry; 
 Pursuant to "Decision No.89/2003/BNN-QĐ dated on 04 September, 2003 of the Minister 
of Agriculture and Rural Development function, responsible, rights and structure of DAH; 
 In order to improve the quality of the management of veterinary medicinal products, to 
protect efficiently the animal production, to ensure the hygiene and the safety of foods for 
consumers, to favour the integration into ASEAN, the DAH has adopted this guidance on the 
registration procedures for obtainment, modification and renewal of marketing authorizations of 
veterinary medicinal products in Viet Nam as follows: 
I/ REGISTRATION FOR OBTAINMENT OF MARKETING AUTHORIZATIONS OF 
VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS. 
 Registered dossier for obtainment of marketing authorizations of veterinary medicinal 
product must be prepared in three copies, made clearly of A 4 size pages and right order of parts: 
 One copy is submitted to the DAH 
 One copy is submitted to the control institutions (content includes qualitative standards 
and methods of quality control) 
 One copy is kept by the applicant 
1. Content of the dossier: 
One registered dossier for marketing authorizations including 8 parts: 
(DRAFT OF TRANSLATION) 
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 Part 1: Cover page (Form 1), table of content (Form 2) 
 Part 2: Registration application form (form 3) 
 Part 3: Summary of product characteristics (SPC, Form 4) 
 Part 4: Label of VMP 
 Part 5: Technical information on the quality of the VMP 
 Part 6: Technical information on the safety and on the efficacy of the VMP. 
Part 7: Certificates of GMP, ISO, etc. The copy must be verified by the competent 
institution. 
Part 8: Any other relevant documents (certificates of manufactures and 
government laboratories for quality control of VMPs, results of trials, 
etc). 
 Registered dossier for imported VMPs must be written in Vietnamese or English. The 
SPC must be written in Vietnamese. 
1.1. The cover page and table of content registered dossier: 
1.1.1. The cover page must include (Form 1): 
 + The purpose of the application: for marketing authorization 
 + The name of the applicant 
 + The name of the VMP for registration. 
1.1.2. Table of content registered dossier (Form 2): 
 Parts of dossiers must be in right order with page numbers. 
1.2. Registration application form: 
 The registration application form must contain following contents: 
 - Name and full address of the applicant 
 - Name of the VMP 
 - Pharmaceutical form of the VMP 
 - Complete qualitative and quantitative composition of the VMP 
 - All the different packagings 
 - Therapeutic claims and dosages for each target animals 
 - Withdrawal times for meat, milk and eggs if applicable 
 - For import VMPs must have: The MA from the country of origin, other countries 
(if available); Certificate of GMP. The copies must be verified by the competent institutions. 
1.3. Summary of product characteristics (SPC): 
 The SPC is a document containing all the key information on a given VMP submitted to 
the MA procedure. At the end of this procedure, the DAH will check this information that is in 
compliance with the content of then MA and with the conditions of use of the VMP accepted in 
the MA. 
 If it is not the case, DAH will ask the applicant to modify the SPC accordingly the 
national and international standards. 
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 Once approved by the DAH, the SPC becomes an official document, attached to the MA, 
which provides the technical basis for the content of labels and package inserts. 
1.3.1. Name of the VMP: 
 Names of VMPs must be original names and not generic names, not copy of names that 
have patents. 
 They are chosen so that they do not lead to any confusion with regard to the nature, the 
composition and the therapeutic effects of the VMP of concern. 
 Names of the components of the VMP, active substances and excipients, must be the 
international common names. For components that originate animals, plants, minerals must be 
written in common names and scientific names in Latin. 
1.3.2. Pharmaceutical form of VMP 
1.3.3. Route of administration 
1.3.4. Qualitative and quantitative composition 
1.3.5. Pharmacological properties: 
 - Pharmacodynamics 
 - Pharmacokinetics 
1.3.6. Therapeutic claims 
 - Target animal species (names of animal species must be written specifically. Example: 
cattle, pig, poultry, etc). 
 - Therapeutic claims 
 - Dosages for each therapeutic claim and animal species 
1.3.7. Specific warnings regarding the use of the VMP in the target animals 
 - Specific cautions for use 
 - Possible interactions with other VMPs, types of interactions 
 - Unwanted side effects in case of use according to the recommended dosage. 
 - Unwanted side effects in case of over dosage 
 - Information about the use in pregnant, lactating and laying animals 
 - Contraindications 
1.3.8. Specific warnings regarding persons administrating the VMP to animals 
1.3.9. Withdrawal times 
1.3.10. Pharmaceutical information: 
- Expiry date of the VMP: 
 + Before the opening of the primary packaging 
 + If applicable, after: the opening of the primary packaging reconstitution of the VMP. 
- Special conditions for storage 
- Description of the nature and of the content of the primary packaging 
- Special indications, if applicable, for the elimination of the part of the VMP which has not been 
used. 
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1.3.11. Name and full address of the applicant and, if different, of the manufacturer of the VMP. 
1.4. Label: 
 Labels of VMPs must satisfy the requirements at the Circular letter No. 75/2000/TT-
BNN-KHCN dated on 17 July, 2000 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and