New vaccines may make it harder for cats and dogs to travel abroad

After last year’s reduction in imports to Russia, supplies of vaccines for cats and dogs tripled in January-June 2023. Experts explain this by the fact that distributors were in a hurry to stock up on drugs before new rules for putting them into circulation came into force. The former leader of this segment, the American MSD Animal Health, lost its share, and the Czech Bioveta, which practically did not sell its vaccines in Russia until 2022, on the contrary, increased it. However, Russians may encounter difficulties when exporting their pets abroad, vaccinated with some Bioveta vaccines, as well as Russian ones.

In January-July 2023, foreign manufacturers of pet vaccines supplied 10.7 million doses to the Russian market, which is three times more year-on-year, according to RNC Pharma data. At the same time, 45.8% of all supplies came from the Czech Bioveta, which produces complex vaccines – Biocan for dogs and Biofel for cats. Supplies of Biocan increased by 140.9 times year-on-year, and Biofel by 64.7 times. Over the same periods in 2021-2022, the majority of the market – 66.5% and 56.6% respectively – was occupied by the American MSD Animal Healthcare with its Nobivac vaccine. In January-July of this year, supplies of this drug, according to RNC Pharma, decreased by 5.8 times, to 348 thousand doses.

Rosselkhoznadzor has similar data. As the department told Kommersant, the volume of imports of Nobivak in 2022–2023 fell tenfold compared to 2021, to 525 thousand doses. And imports of Czech Bioveta vaccines in 2023 increased to 5.8 million doses.

The increase in supplies may be due to the fact that manufacturers were preparing for new requirements for introducing veterinary drugs into circulation and stocking up, suggests Nikolai Bespalov, development director at RNC Pharma. From September 1, 2023, companies whose sites have not passed the GMP requirements (compliance with international production standards) will not be able to supply drugs to the Russian Federation.

Bioveta Sales and Business Development Director in Russia Sergey Razenkov confirms that the company has purposefully created additional inventory until it receives a GMP compliance certificate. In August of this year, Bioveta was denied a certificate; the company will go through the procedure again, Pharmvestnik previously reported.

Director of the Association of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (AVFARM; includes MSD Animal Healthcare, Boehringer Ingelheim, Zoetis) Sergei Zhavoronkov says that due to new requirements, not a single foreign vaccine can be imported into Russia since September, so stocks made by distributors in advance are now being sold. According to him, based on the results of 65 Russian inspections at the enterprises of association members, only 24% of cases were issued GMP compliance certificates. Eliminating comments takes time, the expert adds. Rosselkhoznadzor claims that manufacturers have reduced supply volumes on their own initiative. MSD Animal Healthcare did not respond to Kommersant’s request.

The networks of veterinary clinics “Four Paws”, Vet Union, Vet City, “BioVet” reported that they have vaccines from Bioveta and Russian drugs in stock. Two of them specified that pets can be vaccinated with Eurican from the German Boehringer Ingelheim. This company told Kommersant that supplies of vaccines to the Russian Federation are at a level comparable to last year.

Russian companies, in turn, have increased production of their vaccines. During January-August of this year, they produced about 8 million doses, Rosselkhoznadzor reported. Thus, Vetbiohim, against the backdrop of the departure of foreign manufacturers and the growth of capacity, increased the production of vaccines for small pets by 30% year-on-year in the first half of 2023, and sales of individual drugs in physical terms by five to six times, the company reported.

But the import of animals vaccinated with Russian vaccines and partly with Bioveta preparations into a number of countries may be difficult, warns the President of the Russian Association of Practicing Veterinarians Sergei Sereda. Bioveta says they have not encountered such problems. Now, notes Olga Mikheeva, chief doctor of the Vet Union network, you can travel to most countries with pets vaccinated with Eurican.

Polina Gritsenko