According to the Ta Nea daily, the country is currently in contact with foreign companies with regard to cooperation in vaccine production. The United States’ Moderna shots and Russia’s Sputnik V are said to be of greatest interest.

The main obstacle is reportedly the cost of production, which requires 100-200 million euros ($118-236 million) to launch as well as agreements with patent owners. Pharma companies are usually reluctant to share patents unless stringent conditions are in place to guarantee their protection, the Greek daily noted.

In addition, the project will require a great number of high-qualified personnel.

A solution may be to create a consortium of Greek companies that will jointly undertake the capital-intensive project.