On April 11, Managua, the Latin American Institute of Biotechnology MECHNIKOV received high-level guests from the Russian Ministry of Health, the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security (INSS), the Federal Medico-Biological Agency of Russia, CECMED and WHO / PAHO. The reason for the visit was the meeting of the Russian-Nicaraguan Technical Advisory Committee.
This meeting was highlighted by the senior participants. The Vice Minister of Health of Russia Dr. Sergey Kraevoy and Head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia Dr. Vladimir Uiba arrived in Nicaragua. On the part of the Institute of vaccines and serums participated Director of IICVSSP Dr. Victor Trukhin, Deputy Director of IICVSSP Dr. Anatoly Evtushenko. “To a large extent, this Technical Committee is also distinguished because the representatives of the Russian regulator took part in the meeting: Dr. Vadim Merkulov of the Scientific Center that performs examinations of medicines of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Vladislav Shestakov of the State Institute of Medicines and Good practices. It is very important and useful for the more dynamic and sustainable development of the MECHNIKOV project in the region ”- stated Dr. Stanislav Uiba – General Manager of the Latin American Institute of Biotechnology MECHNIKOV.
The Committee monitors the current status and progress of technology transfer for the production of immunobiological and biological preparations from the Russian Federation to the Republic of Nicaragua. The delegates positively evaluated the current state, confirmed the fulfillment of the previously announced plan for the realization of the MECHNIKOV project. Also during the Committee meeting they discussed the use of the MECHNIKOV production plant as the additional center for professional practice and recruitment of specialists. At the moment, in the field of preparing the IICVSSP personnel reserve, jointly with UNAN-MANAGUA and MECHNIKOV specialists are carrying out the pilot project of a training camp for adolescents.
The tour of the plant
The MECHNIKOV production plant
During the Committee, the delegates visited the production plant of the Latin American Institute of Biotechnology MECHNIKOV, where they learned about the process of filling and packaging the influenza vaccine. After the excursion to the plant, Deputy Minister of Health of Russia Dr. Sergey Kraevoy said: “This plant can produce up to 30 million doses of vaccine annually”, in the future it is planned to expand the line of drugs. In her turn, Dr. Socorro Gross Galiano – WHO / PAHO Representative in Nicaragua – drew the audience’s attention to the great potential of MECHNIKOV: “We consider that it is a very important project, and that it is also oriented on what they say. the sustainable development objectives, which is access to universal coverage of quality vaccines and medicines ”.
“This project is important not only for Nicaragua, but for the entire region … Nicaragua is the first country in Central America, which will have its own production of high quality vaccines” – added Dr. Gross Galiano.
About the Russian-Nicaraguan Technical Advisory Committee
In February 2015, during the negotiations in Managua, Republic of Nicaragua, a Technical Advisory Committee was formed on the issues of technology transfer in the Health sphere. The Committee consists of representatives of interested institutions from both countries, as well as representatives of WHO / PAHO and CECMED as a regional regulatory body, added by PAHO.
