Russian pharma is counting on itself

Production

06.09.2022

The Saransk plant is ready to ensure the national security of the country.

The pandemic gave us a very short respite — a new wave of morbidity began to rise in Russia. Reports are becoming more alarming every day, and hospital beds are gradually filling up again. The new Omicron strain subvariants that rule the ball today are distinguished not only by their improved ability to spread, but also by their ability to deftly bypass the immunity developed for other strains and vaccines. In a situation where preventive measures do not always work, the treatment of coronavirus infection plays an increasingly important role.

To find out how much our domestic pharmaceutical industry is ready to ensure the country's drug safety, MK journalists visited one of the pharmaceutical industries — the Biochemist plant (part of the Promomed group of companies) in Saransk, the Republic of Mordovia. Peter Bely, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Promomed Group, assessing the current increased responsibility of the domestic pharmaceutical industry at SPIEF 2022, recalled that three years ago it was understood that one should rely only on one's own strength. According to him, thanks to this solution, the tools and innovations developed to combat COVID–19 in Russia have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, ensured the country's drug safety and in many ways outstripped similar developments abroad.

The search for etiotropic drugs against COVID-19 has been underway since the beginning of the pandemic. At first, doctors had to act almost blindly. There was no time to develop new drugs, it remained to explore those already on the market. There was a lot of trial and error: according to the results of the first waves, a number of drugs could not prove their effectiveness. However, the search for new funds was conducted in parallel, and today we can talk about a number of real breakthroughs in this industry.

From a small factory to a pharmaceutical giant

The Saransk Biochemist plant is located on 22 hectares of land and today, due to compliance with the most stringent environmental standards and equipped with modern cleaning systems, it is one of the most environmentally friendly industries in the country.

Since 1959, the plant has been focused on the production of antibiotics, but the crisis of the 90s hit the entire industry, the enterprise was practically in ruins. At the beginning of the 21st century, outdated generics were produced here, which were poorly in demand on the market.

But in 2015, a new round of the plant's history began, with the Biochemist joining Promomed Group of Companies, one of the key players in the Russian pharmaceutical market. In just a few years, the company has been completely modernized and reconstructed. The process is not finished: the construction of new workshops and the launch of new lines continues, but today Biochemist is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country, operating in a full—cycle mode — that is, from the molecule to the packaging. The plant has its own production of pharmaceutical substances (biological, chemical), from which ready-made forms (ten different types) of medicines are then "cast". The largest research R&D center with laboratories covering an area of 2,000 hectares also operates on its territory: it is in such places that scientists make their breakthrough discoveries in the field of new disease therapy. About 200 new drugs are currently under development.

Speaking of scientists. The company's management works in close cooperation with the local Mordovian State University. Ogareva, on the basis of which, with the participation of the Promomed company The Department of Chemistry and Technology of Physiologically active substances has been opened: students undergo practical training in laboratories and workshops of the Biochemist plant. The most talented graduates are invited to the Biochemist plant.

The plant's capacity (it consists of five workshops equipped with high-tech equipment) allows it to produce a wide range of medicines: Today, more than 250 types of medicines come off its pipelines, 80% of which are included in the list of vital and necessary. This is the widest range of medicines that are used in the field of infection control (antiviral and antibiotics), endocrinology, neurology, oncology, general therapy and create the basis for national drug safety. The company's portfolio is constantly expanding. At the same time, all the plant's products comply with the strictest international standards of quality, safety and efficiency, which are constantly being improved.

A blow to the virus

The company's scientists have been working on the development of drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 for several years. Promomed was one of the first companies to develop and manufacture an antiviral drug based on favipiravir, which was registered back in June 2020. Favipiravir immediately entered the list of clinical recommendations for the treatment of coronavirus infection by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Next, the antiviral drug Esperavir, an analogue of an American drug based on molnupiravir, was released.

The company's latest development for targeted etiotropic therapy of COVID-19 was created on the basis of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation registered the Skyvir drug at the end of April 2022. Medical luminaries are confident that with the advent of new domestic medicines in their arsenal, it will be possible to quickly suppress the growth of a new wave and, most importantly, prevent the development of kidney complications in thousands of patients.

The emergence of domestic drugs is of great strategic importance: the more a country has its own etiotropic drugs for the pandemic virus, the less our country depends on the purchase of similar drugs from foreign pharmaceutical companies.

The development of new anti-coronavirus drugs in our country continues. As well as funds for the treatment of other diseases that contribute to disability and mortality statistics: oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular, etc. In his speeches, the President has repeatedly stressed that the health of the nation is the foundation of the country's development, therefore, the state should regard this area as one of the main areas of its work, and called on the government to pay close attention to the health of the nation.

The plant Administration told us that the focus of the company's development for the coming years is on original drugs developed in collaboration with leading Russian scientists based on biotechnologies. This will not only reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, but also make domestic medicines more affordable for consumers, including in terms of price. Well, the company associates its future with the development of biotechnologies that will make it possible to make a breakthrough in the fight against cancer, "diseases of old age" and other threats to human life and health, because the company's mission is to make people healthy, beautiful and happy, which it invests its knowledge, experience and passion in.

Photo: Promomed Group of Companies

Source: mk.ru

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