The manufacturer "Vetbiohim" is recalling 60,000 doses of the complex dog vaccine "Multikan-8" of the 20th series after reports of severe complications and animal deaths. The drug was supplied to more than ten regions, the company will re-check the quality of the series and production conditions, and send archived samples for independent examination. The connection between vaccination and complications has not been officially established.
"Multikan-8" is a two-component preparation combining lyophilized dry mass and liquid suspension. The dry component contains live attenuated strains of canine distemper virus, adenovirus type two, parvovirus, and coronavirus, which trigger an immune response without developing an infection. The liquid phase includes inactivated leptospires of serogroups Canicola and Icterohaemorrhagiae, as well as inactivated rabies virus, adsorbed on aluminum hydroxide. The adjuvant is responsible for drug deposition and prolonged immune stimulation. Storage and transportation are strictly limited to a corridor from plus 2 to plus 8 degrees Celsius. Freezing the liquid component destroys the colloidal structure of the adjuvant gel; after thawing, large agglomerates form, capable of causing anaphylactoid shock, tissue necrosis, and a systemic toxic reaction. Overheating above 8 degrees leads to protein denaturation and inactivation of live strains.
Reports from dog owners indicate hyperthermia up to 42 degrees Celsius, convulsions, bloody vomiting, and rapid death. Veterinary specialists consider a technological failure at the stage of inactivation or purification from bacterial endotoxins, violation of temperature conditions during transportation with adjuvant agglomeration, or the ingress of foreign substances into a specific series as possible causes. The exact cause will be established by a commission laboratory analysis of archived samples and a post-mortem examination of tissues.
Rosselkhoznadzor stated that no official reports of adverse reactions had been received, but the batch of the drug was withdrawn from circulation. The prosecutor's office is initiating an inspection of the manufacturer. "Vetbiohim" noted signs of possible organized dissemination of unreliable information. Annually, more than 2 million doses of "Multikan-8" are sold in Russia, which has been used since 1996 and protects against six infections, including rabies.
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