On April 11th, in Managua, the Latin American Institute of Biotechnology MECHNIKOV received high-level guests from the Russian Ministry of Health, the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS), the Russian Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA),
CECMED and WHO/PAHO. The reason for the visit was the meeting of the Russian-Nicaraguan Technical Advisory Committee.
This meeting was highlighted by senior participants. The Deputy 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 behalf of the Institute of Vaccines and Serums, IICVSSP Director Dr. Victor Trukhin, IICVSSP Deputy Director Dr. Anatoly Evtushenko participated. “To a large extent this Technical Committee is also distinguished because the
representatives of the Russian regulatory agency took part in the meeting: Dr. Vadim Merkulov of the Scientific Center that performs medicinal product reviews for 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 “- said Dr. Stanislav Uiba – Director General 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 status, confirmed the fulfillment of the previously announced plan for the completion 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 preparation of the IICVSSP personnel reserve, together with UNAN-MANAGUA and specialists from MECHNIKOV, they are carrying out
the pilot project of a training camp for teenagers.
The tour around the plant
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 tour, the Russian Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Sergey Kraevoy stated: “This plant can produce up to 30 million doses of vaccine annually”, in the future it is planned to expand the line of drugs produced. In turn, Dr. Socorro Gross Galiano – WHO/PAHO Representative in Nicaragua – called the attention of the audience to the great potential of MECHNIKOV: “We consider it to be a very important project, and that it is also oriented in what they say the sustainable development goals, 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 Comitee In February 2015, during the negotiations in Managua, Republic of Nicaragua, a Technical Advisory Committee was formed on issues of technology transfer in the field of Health. The Committee consists of representatives of interested institutions from both countries, also representatives of WHO/PAHO and CECMED as a regional regulatory agency, invited by PAHO.
