Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Special Issue No 120(7878)

CEO of Pharmstandard JSC joined the debate on the pages of Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The discussion centred on cooperation between Russia's pharma industry and international pharmaceutical companies.

International companies have given a strong boost to Russia's pharma industry.

Russian patients today have access to blockbuster drugs, now manufactured in this country, and the pharma industry is increasing its production and exports. All of the above is the result of the dedicated national policy, the Federal Program Pharma-2020 and many years of partnership between global pharma majors and domestic companies.

Over the last 10 years, international companies have invested more than a trillion roubles in the Russian economy, constructed and upgraded manufacturing facilities, transfered hundreds of technologies to Russian manufacturers, implemented a multitude of training programmes for pharma companies` personnel, physicians and patients. RG has addressed the top management of Russia's major companies, scientists and experts with three questions.

Crouch start

What have Russian companies gained from the partnership with foreign pharma?

- In the '90s, our pharma industry was out for the count, reminded Aleksandr Petrov, member of the State Duma Healthcare Committee. - And first of all we should thank Big Pharma for supplying us with drugs back then, which saved our bacon. Later on, global majors gave Russia cutting-edge technologies and the know-how to develop new drugs. Many Russian manufacturing sites have been upgraded in compliance with the new GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standard in order to be able to manufacture drugs that are safe and clinically effective and with least side effects. All of the above boosted our pharma industry, which has been increasing its output 15-20 per cent year on year. The Russian pharmaceutical industry is now comfortably positioned to become a global leader. And this is how it should be as the medicinal security is a must for this nation. Having learned a lot, our pharma has already started exporting its drugs. The targets that are set in the Federal Program Pharma-2020 are indeed being met. The manufacturing localization is on the rise, and time has shown that it has been the right strategy.

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- Partnership between domestic manufacturers and global pharma majors gave a fillip to the Russian pharma industry and the domestic drug market, opines Grigory Potapov, CEO of Pharmstandard. - Integration with the global pharma industry is virtually impossible unless the GMP standards are met. The manufacturing of world-class high-technology  drugs at Russian facilities is an industrial challenge involving multiple process specifications.

There is no such thing as a free lunch

What has your company done in terms of  manufacturing localization and technology transfer?

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- Our strategy is to expand manufacturing localization efforts , emphasized Grigory Potapov. - And it is highly essential for us that the manufacturing localization has been supported at the country level.

Russian manufacturers collaborating with global majors become integrated into their production chains and supply products to world markets

In recent years Pharmstandard Group has localized the manufacturing of more than 100 drugs of international and Russian pharma companies, including VED listed. We partner up in projects to implement the National Anti-Cancer Strategy, the National TB Elimination Strategy in Russia and HIV Strategy 2020. We are actively engaged in the Federal Target Program Pharma-2020 and believe that innovative medical therapy should be available and affordable to patients in this country.

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What is your outlook on partnership with global pharma leaders? It was considered by our experts differently but equally optimistically.

- We can see promise and potential in export of pharma products manufactured in Russia, says Grigory Potapov. - I mean arrangements allowing Russian manufacturers collaborating with global majors to integrate into their production chains and supply products to world markets. We have a number of projects in place in which foreign partners outsource to Pharmstandard the manufacture of products for the global market. We are confident that there will be more such projects because Russian companies have already proved that they can manufacture superior products, whatever the challenge.

 RG Inforgraphics

For a complete and unabridged version, visit Rossiyskaya Gazeta's website at https://rg.ru/2019/06/04/mezhdunarodnye-kompanii-dali-moshchnyj-impuls-razvitiiu-farmotrasli-rossii.html