Pharmstandard, the leader of the Russian pharmaceutical market, and ChemRar Group, the leading developer of medical products, have combined their efforts to scale up the production of Elpida^®, a Russian innovative antiviral drug for the treatment of HIV infection.

In March 2019, Pharmstandard became a partner of ChemRar Group through acquiring from the company a 30% stake in the authorized capital of Viriom, the developer of Elpida^®.

Viriom has developed and introduced to the market Elpida^®, a Russian innovative drug for the treatment of HIV infection. This project confirms that Russian developers and manufacturers can successfully create innovative products, as provided for in the PHARMA-2020 strategy.

Elpida^® (INN: Elsulfavirin) belongs to a new generation of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNIOTs). The drug was registered in the Russian Federation in 2017. It was introduced in national guidelines and standards for HIV treatment. At the end of 2018, the Commission on the formation of the medicine lists under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation approved the inclusion of the drug in the List of vital and essential medicines.

At the moment, the production technology of Elpida’s^® finished dosage form is transferred to the manufacturing facilities of Pharmstandard. The production of the substance will continue at Chemical Diversity Research Institute. Partners will strive to make the Russian innovative drug Elpida^® more accessible for people living with HIV both in Russia and abroad. In 2019, according to the ChemRar Group’s website, the price of the drug has already decreased by 25%.