According to Nguyen Dang Hien, Director of the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biology (POLYVAC), the project started in May 2013 with a total cost of JPY700 million (US$6.7 million).
In March 2016, with the assistance of Japanese experts and the efforts of the centre’s staff, the measles-rubella vaccine was clinically tested and proven safe and effective, Hien said.
Specifically, the vaccine has been tested on 756 healthy people aged between 1 and 45 in five communes in Phu Ly City in Ha Nam Province and in three communes in Kim Boi District of Hoa Binh Province.
The Science Technology and Training Administration (STTA) has verified that the measles-rubella vaccine produced by the centre has met requirements on safety and immunity.
The centre will accelerate the process of circulating and providing this vaccine to the national expanded immunization programme targeting Vietnamese children by 2017.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) certified that Vietnam has a fully equipped national regulatory authority (NRA) system that ensures the safety and efficacy of vaccines produced and used in Vietnam.
Currently, Vietnam is among 25 nations in the world capable of producing vaccines and one four in Asia that can produce the measles-rubella vaccine, along with Japan, India and China.
