Russia Chooses Sanofi Pasteur Polio Vaccine for National "Project Health"

Published on: 

Russia has chosen the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) IMOVAX from Sanofi Pasteur (Paris, France), the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis Group, for primary immunization of all infants.

Russia has chosen the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) IMOVAX from Sanofi Pasteur (Paris, France), the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis Group, for primary immunization of all infants. The IPV doses are provided by M.P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Virus Encephalitides through a manufacturing agreement with Sanofi Pasteur.

IPV vaccination started in the summer of 2008 as part of Russia’s national "Project Health" initiative. Four million doses of IPV IMOVAX polio have been delivered to date, ensuring that a complete birth cohort can receive the recommended three doses of IPV vaccine. Approximately 1.3 million babies are born every year in Russia.

Advertisement

The Russian Federation was certified polio-free in 2002. Since 2006, children from certain at-risk groups are vaccinated with IPV. Starting in mid-2008, all children less than one year of age are vaccinated following a sequential schedule of three doses of IPV for primary immunization, followed by two doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV).