05 Aug 2025

Asia’s animal health policy: AAHA’s visions and achievements

The association wants to ensure that innovation reaches farmers more quickly and supports the region’s food security and economic goals.

Avinews Asia recently interviewed Wendy Wu, President of the Asian Animal Health Association (AAHA). Besides explaining about AAHA’s milestones and mission, she revealed the most pressing issues in Asia’s animal health sector and several cutting-edge technologies they are promoting in the region.

AAHA has been active for the last 20 years. Please elaborate on the group’s milestones in the last two decades?

AAHA, based in Singapore, has served as the regional voice for the animal health industry for over 20 years.

Established as a business membership association in Thailand and later relocated to Singapore, AAHA comprises the seven largest animal health companies in the world: Boehringer Ingelheim, Ceva, Elanco, MSD, Phibro, Virbac, and Zoetis.

AAHA serves as a board member representing Southeast Asia in HealthforAnimals, the global association for animal health.

AAHA’s mission is to promote fair trade, improve market access, and advocate for efficient and science-based regulatory systems. The association works to shape animal health laws, policies, and regulations, collaborating with local stakeholders to ensure a level playing field while facilitating timely access to veterinary innovations.

At the same time, AAHA champions regulatory coherence, standard harmonization, and outreach on emerging technologies, working closely with ASEAN, FAO, WOAH, APEC, and national governments.

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Over the last two decades, AAHA has achieved several milestones:

In essence, the combination of fair-trade principles, science-based regulations, and trade facilitation has positioned AAHA as a critical bridge between industry and policymakers, ensuring that innovation reaches farmers more quickly and supports the region’s food security and economic goals.

What are the most urgent challenges facing animal health in Asia today, and how can they be effectively addressed?

The most urgent issues in Asia’s animal health sector include:

To address these, AAHA advocates for:

Have trade and regulatory bottlenecks slowed AAHA’s progress? What actions or success stories show how these have been overcome?

Yes, significant bottlenecks persist, especially in regulatory procedures, trade restrictions, and the limited capacity of veterinary authorities.

For example, the requirement for a conformity declaration in Vietnam has long been seen as duplicative, even for registered products. However, in June 2025, following persistent advocacy by the AAHA Vietnam Working Group and other stakeholders, and the openness of the different animal health government agencies to make reforms, amendments to the Law on National Norms and Standards (LNNS) were enacted. This reduced the veterinary conformity declaration requirement, marking a major regulatory breakthrough and establishing a precedent for science-based policy reform.

Similarly, PICS (Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme) alignment has helped Thailand gain international accreditation for manufacturing sites without needing full site reviews. It also introduced a fee-for-service model that accelerates product registration at the Food and Drug Administration while maintaining thorough reviews. AAHA encourages other ASEAN countries to examine and consider adopting this model.

These successes highlight the importance of long-term, country-led advocacy supported by data and mutual trust between industry and regulators.

Which emerging technologies is AAHA promoting across the region?

AAHA and its members are actively engaging in and promoting several cutting-edge technologies, including:

These innovations are not solely about commercial benefit. They play a crucial role in enhancing animal health outcomes and strengthening food system resilience in the face of global health and climate challenges.

What key topics and outcomes emerged from AAHA’s recent stakeholder meeting in Jakarta?

The Jakarta meeting held on 7 July 2025 was a critical moment for AAHA’s engagement in Indonesia.

Key issues discussed included:

A key highlight of the meeting was the working lunch with four major local associations: ASOHI, GPMT, GPPU, and PDHI.

This dialogue created a foundation for future collaboration around four shared goals:

How can animal health companies become AAHA members, and is membership also available to smaller or regional firms?

Currently, full membership in AAHA is available to multinational companies that are also part of HealthforAnimals, our global partner association. Our seven current members are Boehringer Ingelheim, Ceva, Elanco, MSD, Phibro, Virbac, and Zoetis.

Nevertheless, AAHA’s advocacy approach is highly collaborative. We work closely with national associations in each country to ensure that policies are shaped collaboratively by all stakeholders.

Relevant industry associations interested in engagement are encouraged to visit our website at www.asiananimalhealth.org and contact us at [email protected].

We firmly believe that inclusive advocacy, supported by science and partnerships, is the key to strengthening animal health systems across Asia.

AAHA’s recent meeting with key associations in Jakarta, Indonesia.


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