Promomed Group of Companies at the SPIEF. Day two: "The course for innovation"

The second day of SPIEF 2022 began with a discussion on the track "Healthy Society" of the pharmaceutical industry's responsibility to patients, innovations at a Soviet-era factory and import substitution issues. The company's speakers were Peter Bely, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Promomed Group, Dmitry Zemskov, Executive Director of Biochemik JSC (part of Promomed Group) and Kira Zaslavskaya, Director of New Products, Promomed Group.

At the session "A course for innovation and support for the Russian manufacturer", representatives of the government, business and science formulated current proposals on measures of state support for the industry. The participants outlined innovative solutions and strategies that will allow Russian pharmaceutical and medical companies to take the lead, and presented examples of effective interaction between investors, businesses and regulators in the new economic environment.

Peter Bely, assessing the current increased responsibility of the domestic pharmaceutical industry, recalled that three years ago it became clear that one should rely only on one's own strength. Thanks to this, solutions, tools, innovations and products 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.

Noting the importance and timeliness of government support measures for the industry, Pyotr Bely stressed the need to refrain from pursuing import substitution: "It is not necessary to turn the domestic market into a country of generics. It is necessary, in cooperation with the government and scientific centers, to focus on unique promising developments."

The expert sees an important element in ensuring a return on investment in development in the firm support and protection of intellectual property rights.

When asked by the moderator about the possibility of a plant with a sixty-year history to be innovative, Dmitry Zemskov replied: "The Biochemist plant was the first to produce penicillin in the last century, and was a leader in the production of substances and antibiotics. But the crisis of the 90s hit the entire industry. The enterprise was practically in ruins. In fact, we have created a new production facility and are continuing to develop it. As an example, today the update of the tablet line already has the third generation. We have re-created microbiological synthesis, created the latest antibiotics, revived chemical synthesis and synthesis of substances. As a result, Biochemist develops and produces modern, innovative domestic drugs every year. Our updated team is young. We are innovating on a new platform with a rich history and rich traditions."