Vestaron gets second round of emergency approval for bioinsecticide use in three European countries

Italy, Greece, and Cyprus have for the second time granted farmers emergency access to Vestaron's novel bioinsecticide SPEAR® LEP to help protect high-value tomato crops from devastating infestations of tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta). This follows initial emergency use authorizations (EAU) for SPEAR LEP in 2024 by governments in all three countries as growers in the EU face tight restrictions on the use of traditional chemical products. Vestaron is working with grower groups in several additional countries to secure EUAs to help meet their crop protection needs.

Tomato leafminer infestation causes significant yield losses (up to 100 percent) in tomato and other crops. Growers in these three countries will again have access to the world-first biological insecticide with its novel mode of action for 120 days. SPEAR LEP delivers precision-targeted control of lepidopteran pests, including tomato leafminer, armyworm, codling moth, European grapevine moth, and other caterpillar species, while maintaining a low toxicity profile for mammals, vertebrates, pollinators, and other beneficial insects. Similar EUAs were granted last year in all three countries reflecting Vestaron's unique ability to address critical crop protection challenges as insect resistance to traditional chemical products is rising along with demands for environmentally sound solutions.

"Achieving a second series of emergency use authorizations underscores Vestaron's position as a world leader in the development and commercialization of desperately needed novel solutions to help growers sustainably protect our food crops," said Juan Estupinan, Vestaron CEO and President. "Our proprietary technology platform is harnessing the power of peptides to produce a robust pipeline of highly effective tools that will shape the next era of crop protection. We continue to work with the European Commission toward full approval of our ready-now solution and prepare for the rollout of additional bioinsecticide active ingredients in the near future."