April 19 (SeeNews) - Serbia plans to invest 100 million euro ($120 million) in equipment that will enable the country to start the production of a tetravalent flu vaccine at the Torlak vaccine institute in Belgrade, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic said.
The production of the tetravalent flu vaccine is expected to begin in the next four years, while Torlak will also increase the rollout of tetanus and diphtheria vaccines, which will be exported to Africa, Vucic said in a press release posted on his personal website on Friday.
"So far we have not even isolated the fourth component of the future vaccine, because three components were quite sufficient. Our decision is to enter the production of a tetravalent vaccine, which is now only manufactured by the two most powerful European pharmaceutical companies from France and England," Vucic said.
Last week, Vucic said Serbia expects the first doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine produced at Torlak to be ready for delivery to local hospitals in June.
Torlak Institute is Serbia's national vaccine producer.
($ = 0.83157 euro)