Too expensive and too complex.

"Thus, Sweden's capacity to be completely self-sufficient in vaccine production is judged to be low," writes Vinnova in the report that the authority together with the research organization Rise produced in a short time and has now submitted to the government.

- It may not be reasonable or cost-effective either, given Sweden's relative small size, says Lars Hammarström, head of the Health department at Vinnova.

Conditions for self-sufficient small

Minister of Trade and Industry Ibrahim Baylan largely agrees with Vinnova.

- I have no other opinion than the one Vinnova expresses, he says.

Sweden has a relatively large pharmaceutical sector with a high level of competence and several factories for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and other vaccines than against covid-19.

But even if Sweden had a state-of-the-art factory for vaccine purposes, the conditions for being self-sufficient are very small.

- It's not just about competence and production opportunities.

It is about a complex network of subcontractors, says Hammarström.

Cooperation best method

Both Lars Hammarström and Ibrahim Baylan instead point to cooperation as the best method, in the Nordic region or at a European level.

Baylan highlights all of Sweden's companies that may be part of a chain of vaccine production against epidemics such as corona.

A collaboration would provide a higher level of livelihood and be more efficient for taxpayers, according to Baylan.

- But should it turn out that it is not possible to find such collaboration opportunities, well then we have to look at our own opportunities.

There is a good foundation, but not the whole chain today, you can not say that, says Baylan.

From time to time, there has been a debate in Sweden about whether it would not be good to have its own vaccine supply, a discussion that gets hotter every time a potential pandemic has emerged and is now understood with covid-19 ravaging the earth.

- You can probably say this in retrospect, it was good that we did not build our own factory that time.

That factory would have had no value today given the technological change that has taken place, says Baylan.

Lars Hammarström:

- Our preparedness capability is best created through international cooperation.