Proteq West Nile

The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

The vaccine is given to young horses as two injections into the neck muscles. The first injection is given from five months of age and the second injection is given four to six weeks later. Protection starts four weeks after the first injection and lasts for a year. The horses should be revaccinated every year.

For more information about using Proteq West Nile, see the package leaflet or contact your veterinarian or pharmacist.

Proteq West Nile is a vaccine. Vaccines work by ‘teaching’ the immune system (the body’s natural defences) how to defend itself against a disease. The vaccine strain vCP2017 in Proteq West Nile is a ‘carrier’ canarypox virus that has been given a gene that makes it able to produce part of the West Nile virus, the proteins PreM and E. The canarypox viruses do not spread or multiply in the vaccinated horses.

When a horse is given the vaccine, the immune system recognises the West Nile proteins PreM and E as ‘foreign’ and makes antibodies against it. In the future, the immune system will be able to produce antibodies more quickly when it is exposed to West Nile virus, and this helps to protect against mortality due to West Nile disease.

The vaccine was tested in nine laboratory studies in horses from five months of age. The main measure of effectiveness was based on the number of horses who had viraemia or clinical signs of West Nile disease. In all studies the vaccinated horses were compared with horses that were not vaccinated.

The studies showed that the vaccine prevents viraemia in horses and reduces clinical signs in horses infected with West Nile virus.

Horses vaccinated with Proteq West Nile may have a slightly raised body temperature (up to 1.5°C) lasting up to two days. They may also have a temporary swelling at the injection site which usually disappears within four days.

For the full list of side effects and restrictions of Proteq West Nile, see the package leaflet.

Safety information has been included in the summary of product characteristics and the package leaflet for Proteq West Nile, including the appropriate precautions to be followed by healthcare professionals and animal owners or keepers.

If someone accidentally injects themselves with the medicine, the person should seek medical advice immediately and show the package leaflet or label to the doctor.

The withdrawal period is the time allowed after administration of the medicine and before the animal can be slaughtered and the meat used for human consumption. The withdrawal period for meat from horses vaccinated with Proteq West Nile is zero days, which means there is no mandatory waiting time.

The European Medicines Agency decided that Proteq West Nile’s benefits are greater than its risks and it can be authorised for use in the EU.

Proteq West Nile received a marketing authorisation valid throughout the EU on 5 August 2011.