Four of the eight vaccines that the UN Children's UNICEF Fund (UNICEF) buys using Ukraine's budget funds are to undergo the registration procedure in Ukraine.

The Fund told this to Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

According to UNICEF, the Fund will procure the following vaccines: BCG (against tuberculosis), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), hepatitis B, DPT (pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus), DT (diphtheria-tetanus), a vaccine against tetanus for adults, rabies vaccine and polio vaccine OPV (bivalent) using the 2015 budget funds at the request of the Health Ministry.

Four out of the eight vaccines ordered for UNICEF by the Health Ministry have been registered in Ukraine.

UNICEF noted that the fund does not participate in the registration process, "because only the producer and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine are involved in this process"

"According to the information we know, in accordance with the seven-day simplified procedure of registration, two vaccines have been registered: some days ago rabies vaccine of GSK production was registered along with OPV bivalent vaccine GSK production," the fund reported.

UNICEF reported that "Ukraine needed changes in the Cabinet of Ministers resolution for the supply of OPV, as this vaccine is not included in the original list [vaccines procurement by means of international organizations]. The draft of the necessary changes has been submitted to the Ministry of Health, it was considered by the Ministry of Justice and is being considered by the Ministry of Economics now," the fund said.

According to UNICEF, as of today, the Ministry of Health have already delivered the first batch of MMR vaccine (GSK production) amounted to 277,000 doses, and the first batch of vaccines against hepatitis B (manufactured by LG Life Sciences) in the total amount of 350,000 doses.

"The next delivery is expected by the end of June, and it will be the first of two rabies vaccine supplies," the fund said.

According to UNICEF, in accordance with the seven-day simplified procedure of registration DPT (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus), vaccine produced by SII (Serum Institute of India, India) was submitted along with DT vaccine (tetanus-difteriya) produced by Biological-E (Hyderabad, India).

UNICEF noted that the delivery schedule published earlier "will be observed in the case of timely registration of vaccines."

"According to international practice of vaccine procurement, which is carried on by the UNICEF Supply and Procuremnt Division in Copenhagen, the average procurement process cycle lasts one year, and on average, countries buy vaccines for two or three years in advance. For example, if a country orders vaccines for 2017, the procurement process should begin no later than the beginning of 2016. Regarding the order of Ukraine, it is executed on a priority accelerated conditions as UNICEF received funding of vaccines procurement ordering for the state immunization program of 2015 only on December 30, 2015, and in April 2016 the first delivery of vaccines (MMR) was brought into action," UN Children's Fund said.

As reported, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) declared its intentions before the end of July to supply to Ukraine 91,393 doses of rabies vaccine produced by RabipurPCEC. "Chiron Behring Vaccines Private LTD" (India), which acts as the applicant "GlaxoSmithKline Export LTD"(GSK, UK).

As reported, Ukraine's Health Ministry handed over UAH 2.197 billion worth of medicine procurement to three international organizations - the United Nations Children's Fund, UNDP and the British procurement agency Crown Agents.