Cantacuzino Institute, officially transferred to the MoD. Vaccine production should resume in 2 years

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Defence (MoD) have signed on Friday the Cantacuzino Institute’s delivery receipt protocol, the two ministers specifying that in about two years the flu vaccine production will start, whereas the civilian staff will remain included in the Institute’s new organisational chart.

“Today, after several months of discussion, we have signed the Cantacuzino Institute’s delivery-receipt protocol from the Health Ministry. It is an old discussion at the Government level, it is an important decision, and since taking office I have promised to deal with this issue. Unfortunately, it was a shadowed institution in recent years, but it is important for health security, and therefore the institute officially is transferred to the MoD, we have a rigorous plan to reset this institution. It is a strategic institute that we want to re-launch it,” Minister of National Defence, Mihai Fifor, said.

In regard to the vaccine production, the Health Minister announced that the Cantacuzino Institute will be able to produce flu shots no sooner than two years.

“It will take at least two years to produce the first vaccine, our consultants say, but for the beginning there will be only vaccine components, but we are ready to resume the production of the flu vaccine,” Health Minister Florian Bodog said.

A change could be about the location where the vaccines will be produced, Minister Fifor is considering the move from the Eroilor area to the Baneasa base.

In September, by Governmental decision, the Cantacuzino Institute was transferred from the Ministry of Health to the MoD, after having been transferred before from the Ministry of Education. The Institute produced the last vaccine in 2013.

On August 23, PM Mihai Tudose announced that the Cantacuzino National Research Institute will be transferred under the authority of the Defence Ministry in a month the latest and will become military unit with military management.

“Cantacuzino Institute will become part of the Defence Ministry in about a month. Maybe a militarized hand will turn out well,” PM Mihai Tudose told Health Minister Florian Bodog.

“It’s a delicate problem. Based on the check conducted by minister Bodog, we’ll come up with a draft law in 2-3 weeks to turn the institute into a military unit, with a military management,” said the then Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu.