MUNTINLUPA CITY -- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Dr. Samuel Zacate launches Taskforce Moccus, which is an Organizational Unit of the Food and Drug Administration which aims to ensure that safe, effective, and good quality African Swine Fever (ASF) drugs and vaccines.

Vaccines are made available to curb the spread of the virus in hog population in the country pursuant Proclamation No. 1143 declaring state of calamity due to the ASF outbreak. Taskforce Moccus was named after the boar or swine Celtic god of Lingones identified with Mercury.

The Task Force shall facilitate applications for ASF drugs and vaccines to control the disease responsible for significant reduction in country's swine population causing billion pesos losses in local hog sector and allied industries. The FDA supports the current administration's program to rehabilitate the local hog industry and ensure the availability and affordability of pork products; all for the purpose of attaining food security.

To date, only one ASF vaccine Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) has submitted application for Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) under Monitored Release (MR). To this end, the FDA encourages the veterinary pharmaceutical industry to submit applications with complete requirements in support of the government's efforts to control the ASF infection. (FDA)