The Ministry of Health of Nicaragua has for the first time introduced the Russian influenza vaccine, with the final manufacturing process performed at the Instituto Latinoamericano de Biotecnología MECHNIKOV, for vaccination of population.
The influenza prevention campaign is conducted in Nicaragua from August 5 to September 28 being the second and largest phase of the package of measures taken by the Ministry of Health. Considering the geographical proximity of Nicaragua to the southern hemisphere countries, the first round of influenza vaccinations there is held in the spring.
A total of 770 thousand doses of the Russian-Nicaraguan influenza vaccine will be used in Nicaragua this year. The technology transfer of the final drug manufacturing process was conducted by the Saint Petersburg SRI of Vaccines and Serums of the FMBA of Russia as part of the implemented project, the Instituto MECHNIKOV.
On April 10, 2019, the Instituto MECHNIKOV launched the production (filling and packaging) of commercial batches of the vaccine in Managua. The project has been implemented pursuant to the Instruction of Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation.
The Instituto MECHNIKOV has become a new stage of cooperation between Russia and the Latin American countries and a new Russian-invested brand in Central America, which opens up unique opportunities for enhancing the healthcare quality across the region. The project has been implemented in close cooperation and with support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). While opening the new enterprise, Viktor Trukhin, Director of the Saint Petersburg SRI of Vaccines and Serums of the FMBA of Russia (SPbSRIVS), has noted that the capacities of the Instituto MECHNIKOV allow production of up to 30 million doses of influenza vaccine per season.
