WHY INVEST IN THE PRODUCTION OF VIRAL VACCINES BY THE INSTITUTE OF IMMUNOLOGY IN ZAGREB

20.01.2026.

Croatian Government has made the Conclusion regarding the revitalization of the Institute of Immunology, the institution with more than 130 years of tradition in manufacturing vaccines and other biological medicinal products.

Presently the revitalization of production of viral vaccines, human plasma products and viper venom antiserum takes place.

The revitalization includes the construction of the new production facilities for all the above-mentioned biological medicines with included viral vaccines production plant. Start of construction of the viral vaccines production plant is planned at the end of 2026 after the process of public bidding, with predicted start of production during 2028/2029.

  • Aseptic production is subject to very stringent EU GMP and WHO standards.
  • New production facilities compliant with all the regulatory and technology criteria are needed for enabling placement of viral vaccines through WHO and entering the international markets.
  • Vaccines produced at the Institute of Immunology have been marketed in more than 100 countries over the decades.
  • Target markets for viral vaccines produced in future new production facilities of the Institute of Immunology will be the markets of the WHO and UNICEF programs, the markets of South and Southeast Asia and Latin America and Africa, given the long-standing interest of these regions in the Institute of Immunology’s viral vaccines
  • Vaccines produced at the Institute of Immunology have been present on international markets for many years, especially in South and Southeast Asia, and due to their long-standing recognition and global demand, competitiveness is also expected in the markets of South America and Africa.
  • The global vaccine market is experiencing continuous and rapid growth, and the value of the global market has quadrupled in the last 20 years.
  • The pediatric segment dominates the global vaccine market and continues to grow, guaranteeing stable and long-term demand for vaccines.
  • The global demand for monocomponent vaccines and for combined vaccine against measles and rubella as well as for combined vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella significantly exceeds the available quantities, which is also a significant market potential for future production in the new facilities of the Institute of Immunology.

The Institute of Immunology has a long-standing tradition in manufacturing live attenuated vaccines using Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain and RA 27/3 rubella vaccine strain:

  • Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain was developed at the Institute of Immunology under the leadership of Academician Drago Ikić, which is internationally acknowledged measles virus vaccine strain with long term use in vaccination programs in numerous countries, documented in scientific literature as part of successful measures to control the spread of measles
  • RA 27/3 rubella vaccine strain was developed at the Institute of Immunology by additional processing of the original rubella virus vaccine strain that was originally developed in USA by dr Stanley Plotkin, it is one of the globally most widely used rubella virus vaccine strains and internationally recognized rubella virus vaccine strain with long-standing use in vaccination programs in numerous countries and documented in scientific literature
  • In recent history, the Institute of Immunology had produced measles vaccine, rubella vaccine and combined measles-rubella vaccine using internationally recognized vaccine strains: the Edmonston-Zagreb measles virus vaccine strain and RA 27/3 vaccine strain
  • The long-term use of live attenuated vaccines produced using the aforementioned measles and rubella vaccine strains as an integral part of the national vaccination program in the Republic of Croatia, has contributed to a significant reduction in measles and rubella cases over the past decades.

In the first phase, the Institute of Immunology will produce monocomponent vaccines against measles and rubella (1-dose, 5-dose, 10-dose) and the multicomponent measles containing vaccines (1-dose, 5-dose, 10-dose) thus covering a wide range of health system needs.

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) states that live attenuated measles vaccines develop a long-lasting immune response with detectable antibodies years after vaccination with these vaccines (World Health Organization, WHO Technical Report Series, No. 840, 1994. Annex 3)
  • According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), in comparative analyzes of the use of different vaccine strains of measles virus, it is shown that the Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain records favorable characteristics of the duration of immunity in countries where it was used (WHO/EPI/GEN/93.17)
  • According to available scientific research, the aerosol administration of measles vaccine produced from Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain was tested and immunological responses and the duration immunity data were described in comparison with other measles vaccine strains administered in aerosol form. The data show that the Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain had favorable duration of immunity characteristics. These results are relevant to the research context and also indicate the potential for aerosol administration of vaccines.
  • Vaccines produced using live, attenuated vaccine strains of the virus have documented immunogenicity and are widely used in public health systems.
  • Long term use of live, attenuated vaccines produced from the Edmonston-Zagreb measles virus vaccine strain and the RA 27/3 rubella virus vaccine strain was an integral part of the national vaccination program in Croatia and contributed to significant reduction in measles and rubella cases.
  • Measles remains among the leading causes of child mortality in underdeveloped countries.
  • According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 100 000 children die annually as a result of measles, especially due to the lack of vaccination of children against measles.
  • The global increase in measles epidemics is linked to disruptions in routine vaccination programs and other public health challenges.
  • The use of live, attenuated vaccines is encouraged globally and remains as a key public health tool.
  • The Institute of Immunology uses internationally recognized vaccine strains of proven quality for the production of live attenuated viral vaccines.
  • The Institute of Immunology is developing a new recombinant vaccine strain of the mumps virus with the aim of creating the foundation for the future development of a combined vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella.
  • After completing the necessary development steps, the new candidate for a combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could represent a significant contribution to the product portfolio of the Institute of Immunology.
  • The Institute of Immunology is involved in the development of the new platforms for the production of mRNA vaccines.
  • Viral vaccine production is a strategically important and globally growing sector.
  • New production facilities designed in accordance with GMP and WHO requirements will allow expansion of production capacities, which will create significant market potential.
  • The design of production facility allows for the parallel production of multiple types of vaccines, which significantly increases production capacity and flexibility in relation to market needs.
  • The technology for measles and rubella vaccines manufacturing is based on an internationally recognized technological approach, comparable to practices applied in global vaccine production.
  • Stable global demand indicates faster business results after the start of production.
  • There is a long-standing interest from a number of countries in the vaccines of the Institute of Immunology, which confirms a sustainable export-oriented business model.
  • Due to the increasingly frequent occurrence of epidemics, an increase in the need for vaccines is expected.
  • The global vaccine market is growing rapidly, with vaccines for pediatric use dominating the international vaccine market.
  • The significant trend of increasing pediatric vaccines coverage indicates the importance of the pediatric segment.

Information about the reasons for investing in the production of viral vaccines by the Institute of Immunology is completely available in the following document.

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WHY INVEST IN THE PRODUCTION OF VIRAL VACCINES BY THE INSTITUTE OF IMMUNOLOGY IN ZAGREB