Torlak Institute produces new seasonal flu vaccine after 15 years

The Torlak Institute has produced a vaccine for the seasonal flu. Of the 14 countries which took part in a project organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), only Serbia, Brazil and Vietnam have managed to develop the vaccine.

The Torlak vaccine, which is currently being tested by the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia, is a trivalent vaccine, containing two A types and one B type of the virus.

When the Agency authorizes it, the vaccine needs to be registered. The immunization starts next autumn. The vaccine is meant for people between 18 and 65.

The acting director of Torlak, Dr. Vera Stoiljkovic, points out that the trivalent vaccine will be produced each year.

The Torlak special laboratory can produce 150,000 vaccines at the moment. However, the number will increase year after year up to the maximum of half a million doses. As the production volume increases, the composition of the vaccine will keep being adapted to an older population.

Technology mastered

Since 2004, when Torlak stopped producing flu vaccines, it has seemed that nothing is going on at the institute regarding this.

The truth is different. The WHO project took 15 years and was realized in Serbia with the approval of the Ministry of Health.

– Fourteen countries were financed to build production facilities, equip them and train the staff, but they were not given the technology. Instead, each country had to master the technology by itself. We used those funds to master the technology and moved one step closer to a more modern vaccine – Dr. Stoiljkovic explained.

The fact that, thanks to its equipment, experts and the technology, Torlak is capable of producing the seasonal vaccine flu also means that it can produce it in the required amounts in case of a pandemic flu breakout.

Institut Torlak

Agencija za lekove i medicinska sredstva Srbije

WHO - World Health Organization Beograd

Torlak Institute

Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia

World Health Organization

WHO

Dr Vera Stoiljković

seasonal flu vaccine

seasonal flu

vaccine

vaccines

production of vaccines