Dutch government to sell production activities of NVI
Contract manufacturing for third parties within scope of activities for sale
The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport says the production of vaccines by the Netherlands Vaccine Institute (NVI) is to cease and the production facilities have been put up for sale.
The NVI, located in the Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Science Park in Bilthoven, has more than 100 years of experience in the r&d and production of viral and bacterial vaccines. Its main tasks involve procurement, warehousing and distribution of vaccines for the National Immunisation Programme, the National Influenza Prevention Programme and other national provisions in the Netherlands such as pandemic preparedness, and the National Serum Depot (NSD); research and development of vaccines; and the government-controlled production of vaccines, which will end in due course.
The public tasks of the NVI were integrated into the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) on 1 January.
The Ministry said in the past NVI's vaccine production played an important role in the availability of vaccines and vaccines-related technology worldwide, but this will now end and be sold to the private sector.
Current manufacturing activities include the production of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) as bulk- or final product, BCG vaccines used in after-surgery treatment of bladder cancer, the combined diphtheria-tetanus-polio (DTP) vaccine and the tetanus toxoid (Ttox) vaccine used in the vaccination of children and adults.
Contract manufacturing for third parties is within the scope of activities up for sale, the Ministry said.
The production plant meets the high standards of Good Manufacturing Practices.
Valuation firm American Appraisal has been appointed to act as advisor to the Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport during the sale. Interested parties should send their proposals to the firm’s Netherlands office in Rotterdam, before 4 March.
