The Dieter Luetticken Award 2008 is presented to Dr. Ivo Claassen (center) by Dr. Rene Aerts (left), vice-president R&D biologicals at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and Dr. Dieter Luetticken (right).

The Dieter Luetticken Award 2008 for alternatives in animal testing was presented today to Dr. Ivo Claassen for developing an alternative quality control method for poultry vaccines at the Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) in Lelystad (the Netherlands). The > 20,000 award was presented during a special session celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of the 3R principles by Russell and Burch during the 7th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Rome (Italy).

Dr. Claassen received the Dieter Luetticken Award 2008 for the leading role that he had in an interdisciplinary team at the CVI that has developed an in vitro potency test for the routine quality control of inactivated Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) vaccines. Traditionally, quality control of NDV vaccines included an in vivo potency assay in chickens, whereas the alternative method allows avoiding the use of chickens. The new method has also been included in the European Pharmacopoeia monograph as an additional potency assay to release NDV vaccines. The research project was largely funded by the Department of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the Netherlands.

Dr. Claassen commented: "The development and validation of this assay and finally the inclusion of the assay in the European Pharmacopoeia monograph on inactivated NDV vaccines was a very successful project by an interdisciplinary team from the CVI in close collaboration with the European Directorate on Quality of Medicines (EDQM) in Strasbourg (France) and I am very happy and honored it has now received wide recognition with this prestigious award."

The presentation of the Dieter Luetticken Award 2008 coincides with the 50th anniversary celebration of the publication by Russell and Burch titled, "The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique", outlining the 3R principles of reduction, refinement and replacement of animal testing, the leading principles today applied for alternatives to testing with animals.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health fully subscribes these principles and actively supports and runs its own initiatives to reduce the need for test animals. With the international Dieter Luetticken Award for alternatives in animal testing, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health strives to stimulate research to reduce, refine and/or replace the use of animals in testing for development and manufacturing of veterinary medicines. The Company is a member of EPAA, the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing.

Candidates for the Dieter Luetticken Award are selected by a jury panel composed of experts from public institutions in the animal health and animal testing sector. Applications for the Dieter Luetticken Award 2009 can be submitted until November 15, 2009. For submissions and more details, please contact Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health - Global Communications Animal Health (communications@intervet.com).

About the Dieter Luetticken Award
The Dieter Luetticken Award for alternatives in animal testing was established in 2004 and is granted to academic scientists or not-for-profit life sciences research institutions that have made a significant contribution to the 3R-concept for the R&D and manufacturing of veterinary medicines. The international award's scope covers in vitro models used in R&D which replace animal testing for licensing purposes, methods that improve quality of life of laboratory animals as well as studies aimed at reducing or avoiding the use of animals in efficacy, safety and quality testing in the production of biologicals and pharmaceuticals for animals. The award is named after Dr. Dieter Luetticken, a committed researcher in microbiology and virology. He has guided and shaped R&D at former Intervet for more than a quarter of a century. Dr. Luetticken retired from Intervet in 2003 as Vice-President and Head of R&D. The winners of the Dieter Luetticken Award so far are: Prof. Andrew Hemphill, Switzerland (2004), Dr. Mark Stevens, United Kingdom (2006), Prof. George Gettinby, United Kingdom (2007) and Dr. Ivo Claassen, The Netherlands (2008).

About Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health is focused on the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of animal health products. The company offers customers one of the broadest, most innovative Animal Health portfolios, spanning products to support performance and to prevent, treat and control disease in all major farm and companion animal species. The company is based in Boxmeer, The Netherlands. For more information about Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health visit: www.intervet.com.

Schering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription, animal health and consumer health care products. Schering-Plough's vision is to "Earn Trust, Every Day" with the doctors, patients, customers and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, N.J., and its Web site is www.schering-plough.com.

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Schering-Plough

Schering-Plough is a research-based company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide.

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