According to the model, Tens of millions of vaccine units, of various types, will be manufactured in Yeruham, which will ensure Israeli self-sufficience during both routine and in cases of pandemics.

Pre-filled M-001 universal flu vaccine syringes (photo credit: BIONDVAX)
Pre-filled M-001 universal flu vaccine syringes (photo credit: BIONDVAX)

 

A spokesperson for the Yeruham local council announced on Monday night that the small southern town plans to open Israel’s first ever vaccine production facility, in partnership with the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) and most-likely one of two international pharmaceutical companies.

In a meeting on Sunday evening between the heads of the IIBR, Yeruham local council and the CEO of an international pharmaceutical company, a model was presented which would allow the quick establishment of such a facility, if approved by the Israeli government.

Earlier on Sunday, the IIBR announced they had revealed an antibody that attacks the virus and neutralizes it in the body, marking the end of the development phase for the passive vaccine of the virus.

The facility can reportely be built “in the very near future,” hoping to supercede the current estimated date for a viable active vaccine, which the IIBR predicts will be ready by early 2021.

In 2016, Israel’s government adopted decision 120B, which ordered the establishment of a vaccine plant as a strategic asset for the State of Israel in the event of a pandemic, after a decade of discussions on the matter. However, negotiations on the matter had stalled since the decision was made, and no working models had been agreed upon until Monday’s announcement.

At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, the IIBR was tasked with finding a vaccine for the virus, and last month, IIBR announced that it had begun testing its antibody-based vaccine prototype on rodents.

According to the model, tens of millions of vaccine units, of various types, will be manufactured in Yeruham, which will ensure Israeli self-sufficiency during both regular routine and in cases of pandemics.

While the Yeruham local council plans to provide infrastructure and manpower and the IIBR provides the research aspect of the deal, the model still relies on an undecided third partner for international operations, marketing and distribution purposes.

Negotiations are currently underway with two of the world’s largest international pharmaceutical companies, one from India and the other from the United States. At the same time, in the coming days, they will turn to the Bill and Melinda Gates Fund, which aims to set up vaccination facilities around the world to help find a vaccine for COVID-19.

As reported by The Jerusalem Post