Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India, May 14, 2025: In a far-reaching step toward improving livestock health and advancing national efforts for disease-free animal husbandry, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, launched the indigenous Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) vaccine BIOLUMPIVAXIN®, developed by Biovet, a subsidiary of Bharat Biotech, in Vijayawada today, at the Livestock Prosperity Conclave, offering widespread relief to farmers and livestock owners across the region.
BIOLUMPIVAXIN® which is CDSCO approved, is the world’s first and safest, Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) marker vaccine, which will help in disease surveillance to protect livestock from Lumpy Skin disease (LSD).
Launching the lumpy skin disease vaccine BIOLUMPIVAXIN®, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, applauded Biovet for the development, and commercialisation of this unique livestock vaccine. The Chief Minister remarked, it is heartening to note the availability of world class made in India vaccine. He emphasised that all viable measures should be taken earnestly to ensure the effective rollout of the vaccine, which not only can contribute to the state’s targeted 20% livestock growth trajectory but also promote the long-term sustainability of the dairy industry.
Expressing gratitude to the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri. N. Chandrababu Naidu for launching the vaccine and describing the launch of the DIVA Marker LSD vaccine as an important step toward eradicating Lumpy disease, Dr. Krishna Ella, Founder, Biovet, and Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, said, ‘We are truly honoured. Livestock, alongside our human resources, represents one of the nation’s greatest assets, contributing significantly to our economy and overall prosperity. We carry a deep responsibility to protect this sector, ensure the well-being of the dairy industry, and advance the nation’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
BIOLUMPIVAXIN® is a novel indigenous live-attenuated marker vaccine developed using the LSD virus/Ranchi/2019 vaccine strain from Indian Council of Agriculture Research-National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE), Hisar, in collaboration with Biovet.
The quality, safety, and efficacy of BIOLUMPIVAXIN® have been extensively tested at Indian Council of Agriculture Research-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE) ensuring it meets the highest global standards. The vaccine also enables serological differentiation between naturally infected and vaccinated animals with the DIVA concept.
This LSD vaccine is a single vaccination regimen given once in a year to cattle and buffaloes of all ages. The presentation is in multi dose vials from 25 doses up to a maximum of 100 doses per vial and the vaccine is stable at 2-8° C storage temperature.
Biovet can produce 500 million doses of the vaccine from its production facilities in Bengaluru, ensuring sustainable supplies.
According to national statistics by the animal husbandry, dairy ministry, there have been two major outbreaks of LSD in India, the first in 2019 and the second in 2022. During these outbreaks approximately 200,000 cattle have died, and millions more cattle have lost their milk production capabilities due to Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
When a livestock contracts Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), it suffers from high fever and painful skin nodules that can prove fatal and contaminate milk production. The infection drastically reduces milk yield, posing a serious threat to large-scale dairies and disrupting the broader milk supply chain.
The Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Fisheries, the livestock sector has grown around 10% in the nine years and contributed to total agriculture and allied sector to over 30% from 24.36%.
The dairy industry is a vital pillar of India’s economy, contributing significantly to the country’s GDP and providing a reliable source of daily income to hundreds of millions of farmers, especially women, in rural areas. The introduction of preventive vaccines like BIOLUMPIVAXIN® will have a transformative effect on every village and district, ensuring the health of cattle and the continued growth and resilience of the dairy sector.
Key attributes of BIOLUMPIVAXIN®:
BIOLUMPIVAXIN®, is provided in freeze-dried form with stabilizing agents for long-term stability. Diluent for the reconstitution of freeze-dried vaccine is provided separately. Each vaccine dose contains NLT log10 3.5 /mL. It is a single vaccination regimen given once in a year to cattle and buffaloes above 3 months of age.
The presentation is in multi dose vials from 25 doses up to a maximum of 100 doses per vial and the vaccine is stable at 2-80 C storage temperature.
Dose/Route: 1.0 mL of the reconstituted volume to be inoculated by subcutaneous (S/C) route of injection.
Preclinical studies: Vaccine has been demonstrated for the absence of reversion to virulence, safety, immunogenicity, protective efficacy and superiority of in cattle by conducting vaccination – challenge experiments under controlled conditions in BSL3 animal facility.
Clinical trials / field studies: Thousands of cattle/buffaloes were vaccinated under field conditions by Biovet and Indian council of agriculture research (ICAR) and vaccine found to be safe and efficacious. Also, it is found to be safe in all the groups of animals including pregnant and lactating cattle and buffaloes apart from breeding bulls.
DIVA marker concept: Post-vaccination seromonitoring helps to differentiate infected animals from that of the vaccinated animals for implementing effective LSD control programs.
Fast Facts about Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a transboundary animal disease that has gained significant attention in India due to its severe impact on cattle health and the dairy industry. The disease is characterized by the development of skin nodules across the body, fever, swollen lymph nodes, decreased milk yield and difficulty in movement. LSD virus transmission is largely attributed to vector bites, with mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting insects playing an essential role.
During the 2022 LSD outbreak in India, morbidity rates reached up to 80% with case fatality rates as high as 67%, across states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. This caused an estimated economic loss of over ₹18,337.76 crores and a 26% decline in milk production, significantly harming the dairy industry and the rural economy. In India, LSD has emerged as a major threat to dairy productivity, impacting millions of small-scale marginal farmers.
Historically, LSD was first reported in Zambia, Africa, in 1929. For several decades, the disease remained confined to Africa before spreading transcontinental to Egypt in 1988 and Israel in 1989. Over the years, LSD virus has expanded its geographic range across the Middle East, Europe, and most recently, numerous Asian countries, including India. The first confirmed outbreak in India occurred in 2019, and since then, LSD virus has rapidly spread across multiple states, leading to substantial economic losses and a decline in milk production.
Vaccination has proven to be the most effective strategy for controlling LSD virus, particularly with homologous vaccines. Following vaccination of cattle and buffaloes, the vaccine instructs the immune system to mount a defense mechanism against LSD virus infection in cattle and buffaloes as a prophylaxis measure. It may take 3 to 4 weeks to mount desired immunity in the vaccinated animals. Hence, advance vaccination to be done as a preventive measure to protect dairy cattle and buffaloes of all age groups from LSD virus infection.
