Vaccine Production in Turkey

Mr. Fahrettin Koca, Minister of Health of Turkey has recently informed that the national COVID-19 vaccine production study will start clinical phase trials soon. This public announcement created great attention to the national vaccine production in Turkey. But the reality of vaccine production in Turkey is quite different than how it’s been described.

The vaccine production has stopped in Turkey completely in 1997. Turkey doesn’t have the required technology to produce vaccine. At the moment none of the vaccines on the national immunization program are produced and manufactured in Turkey. Turkey spends more than 1 billion Turkish Liras every year to import vaccines. Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (whooping cough), Polio, Haemophilus influenzae Type b vaccines are packed and pre-filled syringes are manufactured in Turkey. But this holds a small percentage of the need. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are also packed in pre-filled syringes in Turkey. Even though the centralized and government monitored health system seems like in a very good shape according to OECD rankings, the quality of medical training, number of scientific research and published peer-reviewed articles are very limited. Mainly university hospitals are in debt and many suppliers are struggling due to the unpaid invoiced through the government which led a temporary crisis especially for the ICU equipment and supplies in the…