Biovet, a Bharat Biotech group company, has received approval from the national drug regulator to market a vaccine for lumpy skin disease (LSD) in dairy cattle and buffaloes. Announced on Monday, the company stated that this vaccine could help save hundreds of thousands of cattle across the country.
Over the past two years, LSD has led to the deaths of approximately 200,000 cattle, while millions more have suffered losses in milk production due to the viral infection.
Biolumpivaxin is the world’s first Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) marker vaccine, allowing experts to distinguish between vaccinated and naturally infected dairy cattle, thus aiding in disease surveillance. “Biolumpivaxin, set to launch soon, is the only marker vaccine for LSD globally. It provides high safety and efficacy while enabling serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals using the DIVA concept,” the company said in a statement.
The vaccine has been approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and has undergone extensive testing at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE) and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI). These tests confirmed its quality, safety, and efficacy, ensuring compliance with global standards.
Lumpy skin disease is a transboundary animal disease that has significantly impacted India’s cattle health and dairy sector. It manifests as skin nodules, fever, swollen lymph nodes, reduced milk production, and mobility issues. The LSD virus is primarily spread through vector bites from mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting insects.
During the 2022 LSD outbreak in India, morbidity rates reached up to 80%, with case fatality rates as high as 67% in states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir.
Krishna Ella, founder of Biovet, called the DIVA marker vaccine a breakthrough for veterinary medicine, particularly for disease surveillance and eradication efforts. “Epidemiologists and field workers can now determine whether an animal has received Biolumpivaxin or was previously infected with LSD,” he said.
The company also emphasized the vaccine’s safety profile, stating that it has been rigorously tested in a controlled BSL-3 animal facility. The vaccine was found to be free from extraneous agents, demonstrated strong immunogenicity, and provided protective efficacy against challenge infections. Importantly, tests confirmed that the vaccine virus did not revert to virulence and was not detected in milk, semen, or bodily excretions such as nasal, ocular, or fecal secretions from vaccinated animals.
