MANAGUA, October 22. /TASS/. The first Russian plant on vaccine production will open in Nicaragua on October 22, and production of vaccines may be launched right away as all lines are ready, Russian Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova told reporters on Saturday.
"We came to solemnly open it. It may be launched right away - all lines are ready," Skvortsova said.
She also reminded that the decision to build a biomedical immune-biological facility was made in the framework of the Russian-Nicaraguan inter-governmental commission. The first stone was laid a year ago.
"Precisely a year ago, on 21 October 2015, we laid the first stone at the spot where biomedical biotechnological production of seasonal flu vaccines was to start," Veronika Skvortsova noted.
The capacity of the Russian plant
The capacity of the Russian plant to produce seasonal flu vaccines, due to be open on Sunday, is 30 million doses a year, Russia’s Healthcare Minister told reporters.
"The first capacity of this plant is 30 million doses a year, while Nicaragua’s demand is about one million doses," she said. "The remaining 29 million will be for the countries of Central and Latin America."
The output capacity of the Russian plant to produce seasonal flu vaccines may be increased by five times if required, she said.
In 2013, the Russia-Nicaragua intergovernmental commission agreed to build the bio medical immune biology facility. Presidents of the countries supported the decision. The plant will be opened on October 22.