While discussing the development of the Vitebsk Region, the President touched upon an important topic - the creation of domestic antiviral vaccine. The project is being implemented by BelVitunipharm. The first stage is over, the pilot series has been produced. It is also planned to create a biotechnology cluster on the basis of the company. A new production facility is already being set up here and a research institute has been organized.
Alexander Lukashenko urges the specialists not to limit themselves to the production of only one vaccine, but to expand the product line, especially since there are enough developed technologies. Back in 2021, the President of Belarus signs an order to create a domestic vaccine against coronavirus. Scientists should create it by the end of 2023. Time has flown by quickly, it seems that we have already forgotten about the pandemic. But the specialists have not forgotten and coped with their task.
Sergey Bolshakov, General Director of BelVitunipharm:
“Our company has been working in veterinary medicine for quite a long time and has created a whole range of quite effective and in-demand veterinary drugs. Accordingly, the next step was to enter medical vaccines. We have created a domestic vaccine. Despite the fact that the pandemic is over, the disease remains. A certain category of people will need to use the vaccine.
When asked why it took our scientists more than a year to create their own vaccine against coronavirus, the leading microbiologist of BelVitunipharm, Victor Chizhevsky said the following: "The project to produce a vaccine against COVID-19 requires staff training, acquiring skills to work on new equipment and mastering new technologies, so we needed time."
Alexander Lukashenko noted at that there is a promising proposal to produce antitumor drugs for the treatment of blood diseases. Director General of BelVitunipharm said that the company's equipment allows to start producing antitumor drugs with minor modifications. Sergei Bolshakov also mentioned that Belarus is gradually creating its own flu vaccine. It will be ready in the next year and a half. BelVitunipharm scientists are even engaged in the development of a vaccine against drug abuse.
