Slovak government intends to create €15m vaccine production unit

2010-08-11

The Slovak government intends to create a virology centre responsible for the production of pandemic flu vaccines. It is estimated that the construction of the centre would cost around €15m. This figure was quoted in the final project documentation submitted by the Office for the Administration of State Material Reserves (SSHR) pertaining to the assessment of the environmental impact of the project.
The production centre will be located in the business park in Sarisske Michalany which belongs to Imuna Pharm, a private pharmaceutical company. However, Lubomir Urban, an SSHR spokesman, has said that this will be an entirely state-funded project, and that Imuna Pharm will not be involved.
The construction work is expected to start in the spring of 2011, and the centre is due to open in June 2012. The manufacturing facility will employ more than 40 people and produce five million vaccines per year in order to satisfy the needs of the whole of Slovakia. The facility will have the capacity to adjust its production portfolio and to produce vaccines against any kind of flu, depending on the current warnings issued by the World Health Organisation.