On November 25, the ISTC Executive Director David   Cleave met Prof. Dr. Kunsulu Zakarya, Director   General of the Research Institute of Biological     Safety Problems (RIBSP) in Otar, Kazakhstan.

 The Institute is the developer of Kazakhstan’s   QazCovid-in (QazVac) COVID-19 coronavirus infection   inactivated vaccine and hosts the biopharmaceutical   plant "OtarBioPharm", the advanced enterprise for the   production of immunobiological drugs, constituting a   unique production site in Central Asia. Two weeks ago   RIBSP received on a working visit Prime Minister   Askar  Mamin, and was transferred in terms of   governance into the system of the Ministry of Health.

The Research Institute has a long record of notable achievements in virology, biotechnology and biological safety, and in technologies for the production of prophylactic, diagnostic and medicinal (therapeutic) drugs and agents against infectious diseases of humans and animals. In also has a level 3 biosafety laboratory. Previously RIBSP had several joint projects with ISTC.

In the course of the meeting possible new forms of cooperation came into scrutiny through which ISTC could support the ongoing registration of the QazVac vaccine by the World Health Organization, and thus clear the way for the use of the vaccine in various African and Latin American countries. 

Deputy Executive Director Aidyn Turebayev, Chief   Financial Officer Sonya Vekstein and SPM & DA   Kamen  Velichkov also attended the meeting.