Heska Corporation announced Sept. 24 that it has received approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to sell Flu Avert(TM) I.N., an influenza vaccine, in Canada. Heska has granted Novartis Animal Health Canada, Inc. exclusive distribution rights to market and sell the vaccine in Canada.

Heska anticipates a positive reception for the product in Canada, given the vaccine’s success in the U.S. After 20 months of field experience, the Flu Avert(TM) I.N. vaccine has proven to be safe and effective vaccine. The product is gaining momentum in the U.S. marketplace, with current year sales up approximately 70 percent over the prior year.

Novartis Animal Health Canada will sell Flu Avert(TM) I.N. vaccine through its direct sales force in the Canadian market.

Flu Avert(TM) I.N. vaccine utilizes a modified live equine influenza virus that can grow only at the cooler temperatures found in the horse’s nasal passages and upper airways, where it induces a potent immune response. Because the vaccine virus cannot grow at the higher temperatures found in the lungs and the lower airways, it does not cause respiratory disease. Flu Avert(TM) I.N. vaccine is also unique in that a single dose administered using a nasal applicator, rather than a needle, is sufficient to protect a horse from equine influenza