Pirbright, GALVmed join forces to advance safer Rift Valley fever vaccine

AFRICA – The Pirbright Institute has partnered with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) to develop a safer and more effective vaccine against Rift Valley fever.

This mosquito-borne disease continues to affect both animals and humans in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

The collaboration will be managed through the Centre for Veterinary Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing (CVIM) at Pirbright.

The institute will provide expertise in vaccine development and evaluation, while GALVmed will focus on transferring the technology to a local manufacturer, carrying out safety and efficacy testing, and guiding the vaccine through regulatory approval.

The candidate vaccine, described as replication-incompetent and viral-vectored, has already shown promising results. Unlike current vaccines that carry serious risks when used in pregnant animals, this option has proven safe during gestation.

Existing vaccines, such as live-attenuated and inactivated forms, can lead to abortions or foetal malformations, or require multiple doses that complicate emergency use during outbreaks.

Prof Bryan Charleston, Director of The Pirbright Institute, said: “CVIM and GALVmed working together will transition a very promising vaccine candidate from the laboratory to commercial production. This programme will deliver a safe and effective vaccine against Rift Valley fever, a major livestock and zoonotic disease in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.”

Economic and health implications

Rift Valley fever can devastate livestock populations, leading to high death rates, abortions, and a sharp drop in milk and meat supply. The impact cuts deep into the incomes of smallholder farmers and affects trade across the livestock industry.

The disease also threatens human health, spreading through mosquito bites or direct contact with infected animals. While many human infections remain mild, severe cases can occur, particularly in pregnant women.

Dr Steve Wilson, Director of Research and Development at GALVmed, noted the importance of addressing these risks. He said: “RVF continues to be a major issue for smallholder farmers, and despite products being available they do have constraints in terms of safety and efficacy. The collaboration with CVIM, and appropriate industrial partners, will enable a new technology solution for the control of RVF to be introduced in Africa providing cross-species efficacy and improved safety for livestock.”

This effort comes at a time when international partners are stepping up research on livestock vaccines. Just recently, a separate initiative between GALVmed and other global partners supported trials for new solutions to manage contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, another disease that causes major losses in Africa.

Together, these steps show a growing commitment to ensuring safer vaccines reach farmers who depend on healthy herds for their livelihoods.

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