AUMED, a.s. builds upon a nearly century-long tradition of Czech immunobiological and vaccine research and production. Our know-how is the result of a generationally-built legacy, with roots tracing back to the beginnings of the Czechoslovak Republic.
The history began in 1918 with the goal of building a sovereign public health system, including the systematic development and production of strategic vaccination sera. This vision led to the establishment of the State Health Institute (SZÚ), which, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and state investments, opened on November 5, 1925. Under the leadership of MUDr. Bohuslav Feierabend, the SZÚ quickly produced life-saving sera and, by 1933, was exporting 56 types of sera and vaccines, including those against tetanus, diphtheria, and scarlet fever. Even at that time, the production of bacteriophages was significant.
After the war, in 1958, the Institute of Sera and Vaccines (ÚSOL) was established. Key figures were active here, such as Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Dimitrij Slonim, whose team was the first in the world to implement the mass application of the poliomyelitis vaccine, leading to the complete eradication of polio in Czechoslovakia. In the 1980s, MUDr. Jan Pekárek focused on cellular immunity research and developed the preparation Transfer Factor SEVAC, later known as Immodin. ÚSOL also produced a range of vaccines against rabies, measles, mumps, and their combinations.
After 1989, ÚSOL underwent privatization and transformation into SEVAPHARMA, a.s., which continued the extensive production of bacterial and viral vaccines (including TRIVIVAC, accepted by UNICEF), allergens, Immodin, and bacteriophages (STAFAL).
However, the further development of Sevapharma, a.s. was negatively affected by the owner’s managerial interventions, which resulted in insolvency and bankruptcy. At this critical moment, it was crucial to prevent the loss of this nearly century-old national scientific treasure—the unique know-how and its custodians. AUMED, a.s., under the leadership of RNDr. Juraj Vronka, therefore decided to save this tradition. The priority was to keep the specialized teams together, as they were the custodians of knowledge in vaccines, bacterial preparations, bacteriophages, and immunomodulators. AUMED thus became the new home for the key employees who carry this legacy forward.
In 2017, AUMED, a.s. initiated two key projects building on the tradition of MUDr. Pekárek: “Transfer factor – development and research of a new dosage form” and “Research and development of a new vaccine against whooping cough.”
Currently, in the field of bacterial vaccines, we are developing an easily applicable immunization preparation for mucosal immunity against B. pertussis and a new vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus. In the field of cellular immunity, we have developed a new medicinal product containing human transfer factor, which builds on the Immodin tradition; to bring it to market, we founded AUMED Immunology a.s. in 2022. Our expertise in bacteriophage production is being modernized and applied, for example, in dermocosmetics (Phage Glow), where it serves to address problems such as acne, eczema, and growing antibiotic resistance.
AUMED, a.s. thus systematically utilizes its inherited and generationally-built know-how to develop new solutions in immunology and vaccination, thereby ensuring the continuity of the Czech scientific and manufacturing tradition.
More information can be found in the article ‘A century-long tradition of Czech immunology and vaccination: From the Institute of Sera and Vaccines (ÚSOL) to AUMED, a.s.‘, link to the article here.
