MINSK, 18 October (BelTA) – The Center for Experimental and Applied Virology has been created at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The center will soon launch production of Belarusian vaccines against influenza and COVID-19, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences Vladimir Gusakov told reporters after his meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, BelTA has learned.
The head of the National Academy of Sciences recalled that the first batches of the Belarusian prototype COVID-19 vaccine had already been manufactured, preclinical trials had been carried out, and the safety and efficacy of the prototype vaccine had been ascertained. The vaccine will undergo clinical trials and its production may begin next year, Vladimir Gusakov said.
For these purposes, the Center for Experimental and Applied Virology was set up at the National Academy of Sciences. The building of the center is undergoing repairs right now. The necessary instruments and equipment will be brought and installed by the end of the year. “After that we will launch production of various vaccines, including influenza vaccines. So far we have to import such products. Now we are developing such products on our own. We have the necessary competencies and infrastructure for that,” the head of the National Academy of Sciences said.
According to him, the center will produce not only human vaccines, but also veterinary vaccines.
All in all, from 2021 till present, the National Academy of Sciences manufactured and sold more than 4.5 million packages of medicines and dietary supplements worth more than Br115.8 million. It also exported medicines to Russia (over $2.5 million) and Kazakhstan (about $262,000).
