The Engineering Chemical and Technological Center (ECTC) at Tomsk State University has received the first certificate of state registration for its own product — beta-propiolactone, the university’s press service reported. Its circulation will be carried out in Russia and the countries of the Customs Union of the EAEU.
Obtaining beta-propiolactone from a Russian manufacturer allows pharmaceutical companies to reduce logistical risks and completely eliminate dependence on unstable external supplies, ensuring the continuity of their own production of important drugs, they emphasized there.
Beta-propiolactone is a critically important reagent used in the production of inactivated vaccines. It is necessary for the manufacture of drugs against influenza, hepatitis A, rabies, measles, rubella, and vaccines for animals. Its unique property lies in its ability to destroy the genetic material of the virus without damaging its protein coat, which makes it possible to produce effective and safe vaccines.
The ECTC’s annual capacity allows for the production of up to 1,000 liters of beta-propiolactone, which, according to expert estimates, fully covers the current needs of the Russian pharmaceutical market for this reagent.
In 2019, GxP News reported that chemists from TSU, together with the ECTC and Siberian State Medical University, were developing a reagent for fixing pieces of human organs and tissues during biopsy — a safer alternative to formalin.
