9 June 2017
Belleville, Ontario - NovaVive Inc., an animal health immunobiology company, today presented a Research Report at the 2017 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in National Harbor, Maryland. The NovaVive research report, presented by Dr. Aleksandar Masic, Vice-President of Research and Development, summarized the results of a study conducted in a large Canadian veal operation with NovaVive’s Mycobacterium Cell Wall Fraction (MCWF) technology (Amplimune™).
High levels of mortality in dairy calves represent a significant health issue and a major source of economic losses. A survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) showed that 9.1% of female heifer calves and 7.3% of male dairy calves die during the pre-calving or growing period. Forty-two percent of the deaths of male dairy calves occurred in the first 21 days following arrival on veal farms. “Antimicrobials (antibiotics) are traditionally used to reduce mortality on veal and dairy heifer raising operations,” said Dr. Masic. “The majority of producers introduce antimicrobials to calves immediately on arrival at the farm to prevent disease and again within the first week following arrival. As a result of the abundant use of antimicrobials in the veal industry, high levels of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, compared to conventional cattle, have been detected.” With antimicrobial resistance becoming of greater concern from both an animal and public health point of view, it is imperative to determine strategies to reduce antimicrobial resistance and use without comprising animal welfare.
In the study presented at the ACVIM Forum, a total of 699 calves age 1-10 days old were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (N=354 MCWF/Treatment; N=345 Control) and housed in four barns (Delimax, Quebec). Standard farm procedures and metaphylactic therapies (electrolytes and antibiotics) were administered to all animals upon arrival. One dose (1 mL) of MCWF was administered to the Treatment group on the day of arrival and a second dose was administered 7 days later. Calves were monitored daily for adverse events. Data were collected for various clinical conditions in all calves for the duration of the study (154 days). Data for additional antibiotic usage, supplemental treatments (duration of use and costs) and weight of animals were also collected and analyzed.
The study demonstrated:
MCWF/Treatment Group | Control Group | % Reduction in Treatment vs. Control Calves | |
---|---|---|---|
Total number of calves requiring treatment | 42 | 62 | 32.3% |
Incidence of clinical conditions requiring treatment | 41 | 123 | 66.7% |
Volume of antimicrobials and supportive therapies | 298.5 mL | 1,090 mL | 72.6% |
Total number of treatment days | 65 | 191 | 66% |
Average number of treatment days per calf | 1.6 | 3.8 | 57.9% |
In addition to the above results, there was a 57% lower mortality rate in the MCWF/Treatment Group than in the Control Group.
“Based on preliminary analysis of the data, MCWF (Amplimune™) can be used as an aid or an antimicrobial alternative to not only reduce illness and death in calves, but also significantly reduce the number and volume of antimicrobials used in veal production,” concluded Dr. Masic. Further studies are underway to demonstrate MCWF efficacy as a standalone metaphylactic treatment in both dairy and beef calf operations.
About NovaVive Inc.
NovaVive is a private company founded in July, 2014. The Company has an advanced veterinary immunotherapeutic platform based on mycobacterium cell wall fraction technology with 4 regulator-approved products. Certain formulations have demonstrated the capability of reducing the reliance on antibiotics in the treatment of diseases of horses and cattle. Other formulations have been developed as anticancer therapies in dogs and horses and as a respiratory disease treatment for horses. The Company’s development plan is to identify additional livestock and companion animal diseases that may be effectively treated with its immunotherapeutic technology platform. For more information about the Company, please visit www.NovaVive.ca, or contact:
Graeme McRae, President
Graeme.McRae@NovaVive.ca
Phone: 613-391-3837
or
Jennifer Shea, Vice-President, Investor Relations & Business Development
Jennifer.Shea@NovaVive.ca
Phone: 613-391-2097