The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Netherlands Starts With the Sale of the Production Activities of the Netherlands Vaccine Institute

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, February 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Ministerie van Volkgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport) has Announced That it Commences With the Sale of the Production Activities of the 'Nederlands Vaccin Instituut' (NVI). The Sales Process Starts on February 15, 2011.

In January 2010 the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport informed the House of Representatives that the NVI was going to change course. NVI's public tasks, concerning procurement, warehousing and distribution of vaccines and the public vaccine research and development tasks, are integrated into the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) as per 1 January 2011. The production of vaccines under public ownership will be ended. The production and the production facilities are put up for sale to the private sector.

In the past NVI's production of vaccines played an important role in the availability of vaccines and vaccines related technology worldwide. NVI transferred its knowledge on vaccines mainly via the transfer of technology and stem cells to various public and private institutions.

Within its modern and compliant production facilities, the production entity in Bilthoven produces biopharmaceutical products such as viral and bacterial vaccines. Over the years, various types of vaccines have been produced in a validated and certified production environment.

The present manufacturing activities consist of the production of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) as bulk- or final product, BCG vaccines used in after-surgery treatment of bladder cancer, the combined diphtheria-tetanus-polio (DTP) vaccine and the tetanus toxoid (Ttox) vaccine used in the vaccination of children and adults. Contract manufacturing for third parties is within the scope of activities up for sale. The production environment, located in the Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Science Park in Bilthoven, meets the high standards of Good Manufacturing Practices.

The sale of NVI's production activities starts officially on February 15, 2011. American Appraisal has been appointed to act as advisor to the Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport during the sale of the production activities of NVI. All parties interested in the abovementioned sales process should state their interest via American Appraisal, before March 4, 2011.