Pasteur Institute of Iran; a Leading Institute in the Production and Development of Vaccines in Iran

The 100-year-old Pasteur Institute of Iran is a research, manufacturing, and educational institute providing services in terms of public health. It has taken great steps towards producing required vaccines in Iran. The institute has played a key role in controlling infectious diseases in Iran by producing many vaccines such as smallpox, cholera, Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) and recombinant hepatitis B as well as introducing infectious disease control programs and making use of diagnostic laboratories. The institute is currently pursuing a program to develop its production lines for human polysaccharide-conjugate vaccines and viral vaccines for the health system of Iran. This paper reviews manufacturing activities of this institute over the past 100 years. INTRODUCTION Vaccines prevent deaths of millions of children in the world. Growing efforts are being made to produce new vaccines and prevent other diseases. Given the usefulness of the vaccines, it has been argued that the life expectancy has been increased up to 30 years on average in the twentieth century (1). Vaccines consist of substances that are introduced into the body and provide immunization, and thus microbes cannot cause diseases in the body for a specified period. Vaccines are often used to prevent illnesses, and sometimes to treat and protect against microbes entering into the body. Sera are also injectable components containing a microbial substance derived from the inoculation of a microbial pathogen to animals; they are often used to treat diseases and sometimes to protect body against diseases (2). Before the Constitutional Revolution (1906 AD), the Iranian government was not taking the responsibility for the national health. After this period, the National Consultative Assembly passed laws to improve the national health and involved the government in this field. The Pasteur Institute of Iran was established to promote the public health of Iranians during the late Qajar period. During the first Pahlavi period, the provision of health was practically state-owned. In the second Pahlavi period and at the onset of the World War II, famine and infectious diseases became widespread in Iran and the role of prevention programs became more important in controlling infectious diseases (3). In 1953, the general vaccination law was passed by the National Consultative Assembly, followed by the immunization of target groups. Seemingly, this new preventive approach, along with Iranians gradual independence on domestic production of vaccines, was a symbol of the emergence of a dominant medical model in Iran and reduced dependence on foreign products. In the past 100 years, the productions of high-quality vaccines in accordance with the national and international standards and regulations against vaccine-preventable diseases in the Pasteur Institute of Iran and Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute have been successful activities to protect target groups, provide immunization and reduce the burden of related diseases in Iran. The production of vaccines and injectable sera have been the main services of the Pasteur Institute of Iran since its establishment (4). The Establishment of Pasteur Institute of Iran D ow nl oa de d fr om v ac re s. pa st eu r. ac .ir a t 7 :4 7 IR S T o n T hu rs da y O ct ob er 2 2n d 20 20 [ D O I: 10 .2 92 52 /v ac re s. 6. 1. 33 ] Maslehat et al Pasteur Institute of Iran: a leading institute in the production and development of vaccines in Iran