Hanoi (VNA) -Vietnam is expected to produce six-in-one vaccines in 2017 or 2018 and by 2020these will be used widely in the country, according to the Ministry of Health. Vietnam already manufactures11 out of 12 vaccines used in the nationwide expanded free immunisationprogramme for children, including vaccines against tuberculosis, diphtheria,whooping cough, tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, Japanesemeningitis B, cholera, typhoid and rubella. In November 2016,Vietnam announced the successful production of a measles-rubella vaccine (MR)for the first time. Vietnam is one of only25 countries in the world that can produce vaccines and is the fourth in Asiato manufacture the MR vaccine, following Japan, India, and China, the Nhan Dan(People) weekly reported. This is the first vaccinethat has been produced in Vietnam by the health ministry’s Centre for Researchand Production of Vaccines and Biology (POLYVAC) under a technology-transferproject launched by the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). In 2015, the WHOcertified that Vietnam has a fully-equipped national regulatory authority (NRA)system that ensures the safety and efficacy of vaccines produced and used inVietnam. Deputy Health MinisterNguyen Thanh Long said the NRA achievement would open up opportunities for Vietnamto export vaccines and contribute in the fight against global epidemics.
In a recent NRAassessment, the WHO said that four of Vietnam’s vaccines ─ Japanese Bencephalitis, measles, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B ─ can apply for WHOpre-appraisal before being sold in bulk to international organisations.
Local vaccinemanufacturing facilities can currently supply ꦰenou🀅gh doses for both domesticneeds and export demand.
VNA