DA Targets Q3 2025 Release for African Swine Fever Vaccine

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is hopeful that a vaccine for African swine fever (ASF) will be released by the third quarter of 2025, pending approval from third-party experts. According to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the vaccine has already undergone genome sequencing and is currently under evaluation.

Once approved, the DA plans to endorse the vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as early as July. “If the feedback from our independent experts is positive, we could see the vaccine available before the third quarter,” Tiu Laurel said in a radio interview.

The DA, along with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and FDA, held a meeting in May to review the progress of ASF and avian influenza (AI) vaccine candidates, aiming to support the recovery of the livestock and poultry industries.

The local hog population stands at 8 million, down from nearly 14 million before the ASF outbreak. The DA projects that it will take two to three years for the swine industry to fully recover to pre-outbreak levels.