Hipra will begin testing a swine fever vaccine in 2026

BarcelonaThe Catalan pharmaceutical company Hipra will begin animal trials next year of the prototype vaccines it has developed against African swine fever (ASF), although the treatment will not be available to eradicate the current outbreak of the virus detected in Catalonia. The company has been researching the virus since 2019 and has been leading a European project to develop an ASF vaccine for the past two years. Marta Sitjà, research director of Hipra's animal health division, admits that this virus, in addition to its virulence, is also "very complex" because it has up to 150 proteins, and blocking just one is not enough to prevent it from continuing to infect pigs. However, Hipra cannot yet give a date for when the ASF vaccine will reach the market. "We are still far from that," says Sitjà, who emphasizes that in the face of the current crisis, measures must be taken to eradicate the virus.

Hipra launched the project to develop a vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) six years ago, after the virus ravaged China, killing half of the country's pigs. Starting in 2024, this research expanded to Europe through a European consortium led by the pharmaceutical company, whose objective is to find a vaccine against the virus. This four-year project focuses on what are known as live attenuated vaccines (i.e., containing a weakened virus). Seventeen European countries are involved, with research centers playing different roles, and the United States and Kenya are also participating. The company, headquartered in Amer (the rainforest), is coordinating the vaccine's design in conjunction with the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology (CSIC). Now that the project has reached its halfway point, the biotech pharmaceutical company already has several prototypes—the exact number is not disclosed due to confidentiality agreements—that have already been tested in the laboratory. And in 2026, it will begin trials with pigs.

"Over the next two years, the goal is to carry out all the verification tests with animal studies to fully confirm that the vaccine design is adequate to guarantee a safe product," says Sitjà. In addition to being effective against ASF, Sitjà specifies that Europe has also mandated that the vaccine differentiate between pigs that have been vaccinated and therefore test positive for the virus, and those that have actually been infected and contracted the disease. "This system for differentiating between vaccination and infection adds another layer of complexity to the vaccine design," explains the director.

A "long process"

Sitjà admits that the African swine fever (ASF) virus, besides being highly virulent, is also "very complex," especially when compared to other viruses, such as influenza and COVID-19. Sitjà acknowledges that creating and developing a vaccine "is a lengthy process," and that in this case, in addition to further studies, it must also be taken into account that the new vaccine will have to meet the requirements and standards set by Europe.

Therefore, Hipra cannot yet give a date for when the vaccine will reach the market. Sitjà emphasizes that the ASF crisis currently affecting Catalonia will hardly be resolved with a vaccine, "because we are still far from having one," and that what is needed is for the Catalan government to implement measures to eradicate the outbreak in Cerdanyola.