The head of a company producing a COVID vaccine was arrested in Moscow

The Zamoskvoretsky COURT arrested the acting Director of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums and Enterprise for the Production of Bacterial Preparations” (SPbNIIVS) Evgeniy Makovsky, writes Kommersant. The press service of the court told RBC that Makovsky was remanded in custody until February 20, 2024 .

The investigation claims that he demanded 19.25 million rubles. “for the continuation of the conclusion of agreements between SPbNIIVS and Rusbiopharm for the supply of the Convasel vaccine from the general director of the second company, Sergei Issers. This company is a distributor of medical devices and drugs.

Issers reported the proposal to the authorities, after which operatives controlled the situation. They detained Makovsky’s alleged accomplice Igor Rudykh, who came for the first part of the money in the amount of 8 million rubles; the man did not admit guilt.

Makovsky headed the research institute in September, after the previous head, Viktor Trukhin, was arrested on charges of embezzlement of 437 million rubles. (Part 4 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code), he faces up to ten years in prison. Makovsky faces under Part 3 of Art. 30 and part 6 art. 290 of the Criminal Code from eight to 15 years of imprisonment.

Makovsky’s company is part of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of RUSSIA (FMBA) and produces the Konvasel CORONAVIRUS vaccine. This research institute is included in the list of strategic and systemically important enterprises in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, as well as in the list of organizations that have a significant impact on the industries and trade of Russia. The company supplies drugs to Russian and foreign markets.

The main asset of the research institute: a joint plant between Russia and Nicaragua for the production of vaccines, The Latin American Institute of Biotechnology Mechnikov (Mechnikov Institute, a subsidiary of SPbNIIVS). it was created on the initiative of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Daniel Ortega. The plant is the only one of its kind in South America; since 2019, it has been producing commercial batches of vaccines for the prevention of influenza (Flu-M, Flu-M Tetra), coronavirus (Convasel), as well as a vaccine against the papilloma virus human and diagnostic drugs, for example for mass screening of tuberculosis.

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