To ensure the safety and to secure the approval of injectable medicinal products based on antigen-specific immunoglobulins of animal origin, it is necessary to exclude their contamination with adventitious human pathogens. Ensuring the viral safety of heterologous immunoglobulins presents a major challenge, because the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation, 14 edition, lacks production stage-specific viral safety requirements for such medicinal products. The aim of the study was to analyse the requirements set forth in general and individual monographs of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation, the European Pharmacopoeia, (10th edition), the British Pharmacopoeia (2019), the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP 43–NF 38), the Japanese Pharmacopoeia (17th edition), as well as the recommendations of the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organisation concerning the viral safety of medicinal products for human use based on heterologous antigen-specific immunoglobulins. The authors analysed regulatory requirements for the following: serum/plasma-producing animals; immunisation antigens for the animals; quarantine of the animals; viral contamination tests for immune animal serum/plasma pools; model viruses to validate viral inactivation/removal processes at different stages of vaccine production; viral load reduction at each inactivation/ removal step; testing of materials obtained at critical production stages. The authors drafted sections for quality standards on production stage-specific measures to minimise the viral contamination risk of medicinal products for human use based on heterologous immunoglobulins, which they proposed for inclusion to the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation.

Diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as antibiotic resistance of its serotypes, are the leading cause of death amongst children worldwide. To prevent pneumococcal infection, the population is immunised with conjugate vaccines containing different amounts of polysaccharides of certain serotypes. Development of a full-cycle Russian vaccine is vital because the active pharmaceutical ingredients for the vaccines registered in the Russian Federation are produced abroad, and only the final stages of production of vaccines of this group are performed in the territory of the Russian Federation. Considering the phenomenon of serotype replacement associated with the long-term widespread use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, it is necessary to carefully select the serotype composition for the new vaccine. The aim of this work was to analyse the serotype distribution of pneumococci in the Russian Federation and other countries in order to select optimal serotypes for the Russian vaccine for human use, taking into account vaccination schedules for each age group. This review presents an analysis of the pneumococcal serotype distribution in the Russian Federation in the pre-vaccination era, as well as after the introduction of routine vaccination. In addition, the review includes data on the serotype distribution in the Eurasian Economic Union countries. The authors described a model composition containing at least sixteen serotypes. It will increase effectiveness of immune protection of the population, providing a more complete coverage of serotypes, considering their prevalence in the Russian Federation. Based on the analysis, the serotype composition for the sixteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is proposed for further production and preclinical and clinical trials. A new Russian pneumococcal conjugate vaccine will ensure vaccination of all population groups within the National Immunisation Schedule of the Russian Federation.

Polioviruses belong to Enterovirus C species and cause severe lesions of the nervous system. In the post-polio eradication era, the World Health Organisation recommends inactivated polio vaccines for effective long-term protection of the population. In order to meet the needs of global health, it is planned to increase the use of traditional and optimised inactivated polio vaccines and introduce new types of vaccines that are being developed based on the current understanding of RNA-containing viruses. The aim of the study was to analyse ways of improving vaccine preparations and to review promising areas for polio immunoprophylaxis development. The authors considered innovations across all stages of the technological process, aimed at obtaining optimised vaccines, as well as vaccine delivery systems. The article presents information on new vaccine strains and cell lines for vaccine production. The authors summarised the results of clinical studies of inactivated vaccines, new vaccines based on genetically stable vaccine strains of poliovirus, and vaccines containing virus-like particles. The most likely candidates for introduction are the vaccines based on virus-like particles obtained from genetically modified strains of poliovirus. At the moment, many issues related to current trends in improving the immunoprophylaxis of poliomyelitis are debatable and need to be addressed in the near future.

Quantitative characterisation of excipients in biologicals is an important part of the quality assurance process both at the level of finished products and intermediates, as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients. Ion chromatography with amperometric and conductometric detection of separation products has a number of advantages. The main of the advantages is the possibility of direct determination of semivolatile compounds that have neither chromophoric groups, nor intrinsic fluorescence. The aim of this study was to compare ion chromatography with alternative methods in order to identify promising areas for its use in assessing the quality of biologicals. The authors analysed regulatory documents and literature and summarised the methods applied for quantitative determination of ionic excipients in biological medicinal products. The authors investigated the possibility of using ion chromatography for determination of the main active pharmaceutical ingredient in polysaccharide vaccines and excipients in biologicals. The study demonstrated the feasibility of ion chromatography for simultaneous quantitation of cations (ammonium, calcium, magnesium) and anions (chlorides, sulfates, nitrates) in reconstitution solvents for lyophilised biologicals; quality assessment of active pharmaceutical ingredients in biologicals (quantitative analysis of polysaccharides in polysaccharide vaccines, profiling of glycosylated proteins, etc.); and determination of several carbohydrate stabilisers in biologicals with the same analytical procedure. According to the conclusions, ion-exchange chromatography with conductometric and amperometric detection, aimed at quality assessment of biological products, can shortly take a leading position in quantitation of ionic excipients, carbohydrate stabilisers, and main active ingredients (polysaccharides) in polysaccharide vaccines, including the vaccines in the immunisation schedule.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the public’s need for effective vaccines. Consequently, significant financial support has been provided to developers of a number of innovative vaccines, including the vaccines with saponin-based adjuvants. In 2021, the World Health Organisation recommended Mosquirix, the first malaria vaccine, which contains a saponin adjuvant. An anti-covid vaccine by Novavax is in the approval phase. A promising approach to vaccine development is presented by the use of virus-like immune-stimulating complexes (ISCOMs) containing saponins and by the creation of combinations of ISCOMs with antigens. The aim of the study was to develop, produce and characterise virus-like immune-stimulating complexes based on saponins of Quillaja saponaria, as well as similar saponins of Russian-sourced Polemonium caeruleum. Materials and methods: The ISCOM adjuvants, Matrix-BQ and Matrix-BP, were produced using liquid chromatography and examined using electron microscopy. Balb/c mice were immunised intraperitoneally and intramuscularly with ISCOM-antigen preparations. Afterwards, the immunised animals were challenged with the influenza virus strain, A/California/4/2009(H1N1)pdm09, adapted and lethal to mice. The serum samples were examined using haemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests. Results: The authors produced the ISCOMs containing saponins of Quillaja saponaria and Polemonium caeruleum. After one intramuscular injection of either of the ISCOM-antigen preparations with 1 µg of each of A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1) pdm09, A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2), and B/Phuket/3073/2013 haemagglutinin antigens (HAs), HI tests detected serum antibody titres to the corresponding antigens of ≥1:40. Two intramuscular injections of the ISCOM-antigen preparation containing 50 ng of each of the HAs and Matrix-BQ resulted in a protective response. In some animals, two intraperitoneal injections of ISCOM-antigen preparations resulted in the maximum antibody titre to the A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2) vaccine strain of 1:20,480. Two intramuscular injections of a test preparation containing 5 µg, 1 µg, 200 ng, or 50 ng of each of the HAs and Matrix-BQ or a control preparation containing 5 µg, 1 µg, or 200 ng of each of the HAs (commercially available vaccines) to the mice that were afterwards infected with the lethal influenza strain protected the experimental animals from death. Conclusions: The ISCOM-based preparations had high immunostimulatory activity in the mouse-model study. The presented results indicate the potential of further studies of ISCOM-based preparations in terms of both vaccine and immunotherapeutic development.

Currently, submerged cultivation of the Bacillus anthracis STI-1 strain for live anthrax vaccine production requires liquid nutrient media, which have disadvantages of a short shelf life (no more than one month) and a narrow range of storage temperatures (2–8 °С). Dry media, in contrast, have a number of indisputable advantages: such media are transportable and easy to use, have a standard capability to retain properties, and can be stored without preservatives at 2–30 °С for 2–5 years. The aim of this work was to develop a technology for the preparation of a dry nutrient medium for anthrax vaccine production. Materials and methods: The study used the Bacillus anthracis STI-1 vaccine strain and a nutrient medium for its cultivation, containing a 70:30 mixture of an enzymatic digest of casein and a pre-processed corn extract solution. Drying of the nutrient medium was carried out on a spray-drying unit. The authors evaluated physicochemical parameters of experimental medium batches. The shelf life was determined by an accelerated stability study. The dry nutrient medium was used to produce a live anthrax vaccine. Quality attributes of the vaccine were assessed for compliance with regulatory requirements. Results: The authors developed the dry media production technology. According to it, the liquid nutrient medium is fed to the drying unit at a rate of 20–25 dm³/h. The spray air pressure is 0.02 MPa. Temperatures at the drying chamber inlet and outlet are 118–122 °С and 85–90 °С, respectively. The technology was used to obtain 3 experimental batches of the dry medium. The study results demonstrate that the technology is reproducible, and the tested quality attributes of experimental medium batches are consistent with the requirements. According to the accelerated stability study, the shelf life of the dry nutrient medium at 2–30 °С is at least 3 years. Experiments demonstrated the possibility of using the dry nutrient medium for live anthrax vaccine production. Critical quality attributes of the vaccine obtained with the medium met regulatory requirements. Conclusions: The developed technology allows for the production of a standard dry nutrient medium with a prolonged shelf life, which is convenient for live anthrax vaccine production.

Liquid erythrocyte diagnostic preparations have a practical disadvantage; i.e., long-distance transportation involving possible non-compliance with cold-chain requirements may result in a complete loss of biological activity. A lyophilisation technology is necessary to ensure that the preparations retain their original properties for a long time. The aim of the work was to develop a protective medium and conditions for lyophilisation to stabilise the erythrocyte diagnostic preparation of tularaemia immunoglobulin. Materials and methods: Gelatin, thiourea, trehalose, sucrose, dextran, and Tween 80 were used as excipients for protective media. The authors used nine strains of homologous and heterologous microorganisms of different genera and species to control the lyophilised diagnostic preparation sensitivity and specificity. Evaluation of the main stability-related quality attributes (appearance of the dried preparation, loss on drying, solubility, appearance after reconstitution, appearance after settling, sensitivity, specificity) considered the temperatures specific to the climatic zones where the in vitro diagnostics is intended to be marketed and used. Results: The authors developed protective stabilising media with different compositions, used them in freeze-drying of the preparation and carried out control testing. The most promising was the lyophilisation medium containing a smaller amount of ingredients —6% of dextran, 0.06% of Tween 80 and up to 0.01% of sodium azide—as it was the simplest one to prepare and ensured complete preservation of the quality attributes. The authors carried out practical evaluation of lyophilisation procedures, and the 12–14-hour procedure proved to be the most cost-effective. Conclusions: The results of long-term, or real time, and accelerated stability testing of the lyophilised diagnostic preparation demonstrated the possibility of two-year storage at a labelled temperature of 2–8 °C, as well as at elevated and low temperatures of 30±2 °С and –18 °С, respectively. The tests showed no negative effects of the temperatures on the controlled quality attributes.

One of the factors influencing the uncertainty of residual moisture measurements in biological medicinal products is the accumulation of electrostatic charge on the surfaces of weighing bottles and laboratory balances, which results in poor weighing reproducibility. The authors believe that the simplest and most economical solution to this problem is to use weighing bottles made of a conductive material, e.g. metal. The aim of the work was to evaluate the influence of the material of weighing bottles on the reproducibility of loss-on-drying (LOD) methods. Materials and methods: Model samples for the study were prepared from a sucrose-gelatin medium by lyophilisation and subsequent moisture sorption to achieve a certain residual moisture content. The authors assessed the samples’ mass uniformity using Shewhart’s X-charts, and analysed their residual moisture content using a loss-on-drying procedure with glass and metal weighing bottles. Statistical processing of the results was carried out by calculating the main statistical indicators: Student’s t-test and Fisher’s F-test. Results: Four batches of model samples were prepared and standardised in terms of average mass using Shewhart’s charts. The effect of weighing bottle materials was most pronounced at low residual moisture contents (less than 0.5%), with the relative standard deviation (RSD) values for the results obtained with glass and metal weighing bottles reaching 76% and 35%, respectively. For the samples with a higher residual moisture content (2–5%), the minimum RSDs with glass and metal weighing bottles were 15% and 6%, respectively. Conclusions: The study allowed for evaluating the influence of the material of weighing bottles on the results of LOD measurements and demonstrated a higher reproducibility with metal weighing bottles. This confirms the possibility of using metal weighing bottles in quality assessment of biological medicinal products for human use with LOD methods.

Reference standards for structure identification of recombinant therapeutic proteins are essential for quality assessment of recombinant protein-based biotechnological medicinal products. The development and certification of such reference standards hold special relevance because of, firstly, the absence of international, national or compendial reference standards for a number of new or recently approved proteins and, secondly, the disruption of supply chains providing the biopharmaceutical industry of the Russian Federation with international reference standards. Moreover, international and national regulatory documents contain only general requirements for the procedure of reference standards certification but not the considerations specific to the standards for biotechnologicals’ structure identification, which vary with the production technologies for each individual active moiety. The aim of this work was to provide recommendations on the procedure for the development and certification of reference standards used to identify the structure of recombinant therapeutic proteins. These recommendations define 4 main stages of the procedure: stage 1 covers the development of requirements for the reference standard, including the justification of material and formulation choices, the elaboration of quality specifications, and the assessment of quality; stage 2 comprises the selection of analytical procedures and the establishment of the values for the certified parameters; stage 3 includes stability studies and shelf-life setting; and stage 4 involves the development of documentation for the reference standard. The paper dwells upon the scope of the stages, taking into account the specific considerations for recombinant therapeutic proteins and the use of reference standards. The recommendations are based upon the extensive experience in biotechnologicals testing and standardisation of the employees of the Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products. These recommendations can provide a base for the establishment of protein-specific certification programmes for reference standards used in structure identification. This approach will allow for systematisation of the process for standards development and ensure the traceability of information and the validity of results. The reference standards certified in accordance with these recommendations can be considered primary standards, if necessary.