The most favourable bidder was selected for the construction of a factory for the production of snake venom in the business zone in the south-eastern village of Rugvica in Zagreb County. Construction of the first of three factories of the revitalised Institute of Immunology, worth 4.8 million euros, will begin soon, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday.

From two valid offers for the preparation of documentation and construction of the factories, the offer of a consortium of bidders was selected, with which a contract will be signed after approval by the government.

The factories will be built for the production of snake antivenom, the processing of plasma and the production of drugs from it, as well as for the production of viral vaccines using existing (MRP) and mRNA technology, the ministry said, adding that production at the Institute of Immunology will be revived after nearly 30 years.

Construction of the snake antivenom production facility is expected to begin in October and be completed within two years. The plasma fractionation and viral vaccine production facilities are expected to be built between 2025 and 2028.

The estimated total amount for the construction of all production facilities is €90 million, excluding VAT. Of this, € 4.8 million is earmarked for the snake antivenom factory, € 30 million for the plasma fractionation and drug production facility and € 48 million for the vaccine factory.

“The funds for the construction of the snake antivenom production module were provided by the Institute of Immunology. For the second phase, the construction and equipment of the modules for blood products, most of the funds are expected to come from the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Cohesion,” said Vedran Cardzic, the director of the Institute.

Minister of Health Vili Beros said that the revitalisation of the Institute of Immunology and the start of production represents an extremely significant advantage for the Croatian health system, which is based on the principles of national self-sufficiency, which also reduces dependence on foreign suppliers.