Dmytro Shymkiv voiced the requirements to start the production of Ukrainian vaccines

The chairman of the board of directors of the Ukrainian pharmaceutical concern Darnitsa Group Dmytro Shymkiv set out the conditions for launching the production of the domestic vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus. First of all, we are talking about the legislative regulation of the sale and distribution issue. The problem is that production of vaccines is significantly different from the production of medicine. The main difference is the frequency of use. If a person is undergoing therapy, then he takes the medicine many times, while during vaccination mostly one or two injections are used. That is why there is the problem of vaccine sale and distribution. To solve it, the state must guarantee orders for production and subsequent purchase of the vaccine produced by Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies. This is not happening in Ukraine yet, unlike the USA, Germany, Great Britain and other countries with their own vaccine production.

At the same time, the top manager noted that the domestic pharmaceutical industry is capable of organizing a full production cycle. According to Darnitsa’s estimations, it would take $ 10-15 million in investments and about 2 years to implement the plan. The company has everything necessary to carry out this project. Dmytro Shymkiv also urged not to believe the words of some manufacturers declaring their readiness to start producing vaccines immediately. Reinforcing his position, he explained that biological production is a complex process that requires compliance with the international standards and GMP norms. Thus, according to them it’s prohibited to work on a vaccine in the same room where drugs are manufactured. Compliance with this rule prevents cross-contamination of raw biomaterials and finished products. Therefore, Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies should first take care of expanding production facilities and premises before making bold statements.

As far as ZAO Darnitsa is concerned, its  specialists considered the issue of vaccine production back in 2018-2019. Having analyzed the situation, it became clear that in many developed countries the state is the main ordering customer and buyer of biological products for vaccination of the population. Due to this, manufacturers and investors are confident of success, and countries have vaccine independence and positive dynamics in the fight against Covid-19. Back then, the management of the Darnitsa Group sent relevant proposals to the respective ministry. Dmytro Shymkiv personally asked the authorities to pass a law on attracting investments in the creation of vaccines and on providing manufacturers with state guarantees for the purchase of certain volumes of finished products. The top manager is confident that this is the only way for Ukraine to establish the right investment history and successfully fight the virus in the long term. However, so far there hasn’t been any progress in this matter. This means that Ukrainians should not count on the release of their own vaccines yet and will have to rely on WHO’s help.