Nanolek and Bilthoven Biologicals to start first production of inactivated polio vaccine in Russia

Nanolek, a joint venture between RusNano with Russian biotechnology company Epidbiomed, has signed an agreement with the Dutch biotech firm Bilthoven Biologicals (acquired last year by the Serum Institute of India; The Pharma Letter July 6, 2012) on establishing production of inactivated polio vaccine.

The exact amount of investments in the project is not officially disclosed but, according to some sources close to the project, it could be in the range of $50 million-$70 million.  Under the terms of the agreement between the parties, Bilthoven Biologicals has provided the Russian companies with an exclusive license to manufacture and distribute the finished form of the vaccine in the territory of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Since 2002, Russia has been recognized as polio-free country, however since 2010, 37 cases of polio have been registered in the country. In this regard, the country’s Health Minister in 2012 provided over 361 million roubles ($12 million) for the purchase of polio vaccines from abroad, mostly from France and Belgium.