Virbac: New strategic alliance with the Taiwanese company Schweitzer Biotech Company

New strategic alliance in food-producing animals vaccines by setting up a joint-venture with the Taiwanese company Schweitzer Biotech Company (SBC)

Virbac will have a 49% shareholding in this joint-venture, SBC-Virbac, based in Hong Kong, and will have the possibility to ultimately acquire whole of its capital stock.

SBC, founded in 2001, has built up a large expertise in the development of banks of cell cultures used in the production of viral vaccines by partners manufacturing veterinary vaccines. SBC also specialized in the research and development of viral and bacterial vaccines for swine, aquaculture species and poultry. In particular SBC has developed and finalized the first vaccine against swine circovirus for the Chinese market, which has been registered and launched one year ago in China by its local partner. The company has a vaccines manufacturing facility based in Kaoshiung, Taiwan.

In return for a financial contribution brought by Virbac to the joint-venture, SBC contributes all of its expertise, technological and scientific know-how, pipe-line of products in development and manufacturing capacities, as well as its current business in Taiwan and its existing commercial and technological partnerships.

SBC-Virbac shall thus represent a solid basis for the development, registration and manufacturing of vaccines used for swine, aquaculture and poultry and will be able to rely on the Virbac commercial platform to market those in future years, firstly in Asian markets outside China and then potentially in other regions of the world, including China.

After the alliance entered into in 2010 with Santa Elena in Uruguay in vaccines for bovine, this new partnership in swine, aquaculture and poultry vaccines will make available to Virbac a range of vaccines used for the different food-producing animals species, market segments which have been enjoying a fast growth since several years.

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