Ukraine developing COVID-19 vaccine similar to Pfizer or Moderna

"We can now make a domestic vaccine of the highest quality, very similar to Pfizer or Moderna," Serhiy Komisarenko, the Academician-Secretary of the Biochemistry, Physiology, and Molecular Biology Department of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Director of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, said on the air of Dom TV channel, Ukrinform reports.

He added that work advanced slowly due to insufficient funding.

"We are working on our vaccine. But, unfortunately, the Ministry of Health practically does not finance this process. I wish we held another meeting with the Minister of Health and the Chief Sanitary Doctor [to discuss this issue]," said the academician.

Komisarenko noted that there was also an opportunity to create a vaccine with the support of the World Health Organization. According to him, he recently had a meeting in Geneva "with a person responsible for the development of vaccines at the WHO."

As reported, in May, Viktor Liashko, incumbent Minister of Health, said that three COVID-19 vaccines were being developed in Ukraine. In particular, the National Research Foundation funded the development of vaccines by the Institute of Cell Biology in Lviv, headed by academician Andriy Sybirny, and the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, headed by academician Serhiy Komisarenko. Another vaccine is being created by a group of scientists in cooperation with the business.

According to Liashko, the result of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry’s vaccine development is expected in the autumn. The Institute expressed readiness to develop its own mRNA vaccine.

The Cabinet of Ministers budgeted UAH 100 million to resume vaccine production in Ukraine. The Government also established a procedure for using funds to set up a specialized infectious materials laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

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