• VIRAL VACCINES PROJECT

    Revitalization of the Institute of Immunology

VIRAL VACCINES PROJECT

Vaccination is one of the most important public health measures for the control of  infectious diseases and is the foundation of national prevention programs. The Institute of Immunology has a long tradition in the development and production of live, attenuated viral vaccines, including vaccines used in vaccination programs against measles and rubella.

Measles and rubella vaccine strains were developed at the Institute of Immunology, among which is the historically significant Edmonston-Zagreb measles virus vaccine strain, produced at the Institute of Immunology, with long-term documented use in vaccination programs in a number of countries.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), live attenuated measles vaccines develop a long- lasting immune response years after vaccination (World Health Organization, WHO Technical Report Series, No. 840, 1994. Annex 3), and comparative analyzes show that the Edmonston-Zagreb measles virus vaccine strain has shown in several studies that the duration of protective immunity after vaccination with the Edmonston-Zagreb measles virus vaccine strain is longer compared to other tested measles virus vaccine strains (WHO/EPI/GEN/93.17).

National vaccination programs in the Republic of Croatia, which also included vaccines produced at the Institute of Immunology, have contributed to long-term success in controlling diseases such as measles, rubella and mumps.

The revitalization of production capacities will enable further production of viral vaccines in accordance with regulatory requirements and strengthen domestic capacities for the development and production of viral vaccines.

BASIC TERMS

  • VACCINE

    A vaccine is an immunological medicinal product consisting of live, sufficiently attenuated or inactivated infectious disease causative agents (bacteria, viruses or parasites), their excretions (toxins), parts (antigens) or instructions for antigen biosynthesis written in nucleic acid or in recombinant virus. In addition to active pharmaceutical ingredients, vaccines may also contain excipients (stabilizers, etc.) and are marketed in liquid or lyophilized form.

  • VACCINATION

    Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine into the human or animal organism to create specific immunity to certain infectious diseases. Vaccination as a public health measure is the greatest medical success and one of the most effective measures for preventing infectious diseases, having saved more lives than any other medical intervention in history.

PRODUCTION REVITALIZATION

The Institute of Immunology has many years of experience in the development and production of  viral vaccines that were used in national  vaccination programs in the Republic of Croatia as well as in the international vaccination programs in a numerous countries.  The Institute was historically responsible for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, filling, finalization, primary and secondary packaging, and quality control of vaccines intended for vaccination programs against measles and rubella.

As part of the revitalization of production, it is planned to establish capacities for the production of monocomponent and multicomponent vaccines and active pharmaceutical ingredients produced from the Edmonston-Zagreb measles virus vaccine strain and the RA 27/3 rubella virus vaccine strain.

All the future production and development processes will be carried out in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, quality standards and approval procedures and in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Croatia and the European Union, and in accordance with the Good Manufacturing Practice Guidelines.

  • MEASLES VACCINE

  • RUBELLA VACCINE

MEASLES VACCINE

The Institute of Immunology has been producing measles vaccines for decades using Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain.

The Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain was developed by experts at the Institute of Immunology.

The Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine strain has been used in international vaccination programs in numerous countries and has played an important role in public health measures aimed at controlling the incidence of measles.

Measles is an infectious disease that can have serious complications, especially in vulnerable populations. Therefore, measles vaccination is included in national and international vaccination programs in accordance with the recommendations of competent health institutions.

Historically, countries that have implemented extensive vaccination programs have made significant progress in controlling this disease. This has achieved public health goals that contribute to reducing the risk of complications that can occur during measles infection, including respiratory and neurological complications. According to WHO data, measles still kills a large number of children each year, and measles remains one of the leading causes of child mortality in underdeveloped countries where malnutrition and child malnutrition are still a problem.

RUBELLA VACCINE

RA 27/3 rubella virus vaccine strain is one of the most widely used and internationally recognized rubella virus vaccine strains, which has been used for many years in numerous national vaccination programs and documented in the scientific literature.

RA 27/3 rubella virus vaccine strain which has been used for decades at the Institute of Immunology for the production of vaccines against rubella, was developed by experts at the Institute of Immunology by additional processing  of the original vaccine strain of the rubella virus developed in USA by dr Stanley Plotkin, and thus refined vaccine strain of the rubella virus RA 27/3 was used in international vaccination programs in numerous countries and has played an important role in public health measures aimed at controlling the incidence of rubella.

Rubella is a contagious viral disease that usually has a milder course in children, while complications can occur in adults, including inflammatory and other reactions listed by health organizations. Cases of infection during pregnancy require special attention, since infection with rubella virus during pregnancy can lead to risks for the unborn child, including the development of congenital rubella syndrome. Information on risk assessment, infection prevention and recommendations related to immunity to the rubella virus are defined by competent health institutions and implemented within the framework of national and international vaccination programs.