Rob Keene, DVM, field veterinarian for Fort Dodge Animal Health, talked about the West Nile virus vaccine at the West Nile Virus (WNV) Workshop held March 7 at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center. Keene explained plans for packaging and marketing the vaccine–which received a full license from the USDA on Feb. 6–and described the efforts already underway to combine the WNV antigen with others in future inoculations to be marketed.

Veterinarians will continue to provide and administer the WNV vaccine (it will not be available over the counter). The vaccine with the conditionally licensed labels will probably last until summer. Fort Dodge will package the vaccine with the new full licensed label and sell it in 50-dose quantities (they will not be labeled for sale separately to clients). Fort Dodge will only sell the WNV (conditional and full license labeled) vaccine to veterinarians who maintain a doctor-patient-client relationship. The reason for the USDA’s strict packaging law is possible illegal sale and distribution of the vaccine, which could mean improper use. In the past, some people have tried to copy a vaccine label and sell it in smaller quantities. Keene encouraged the veterinarians in attendance to contact the company if they see this activity