Expert: Belarus can take its pharma industry to the next level

Belarus may become a state with a well-developed pharmaceutical industry, Chairman of the Committee for the Circulation of Pharmaceutical Products under the CIS Business Center for Economic Development Alexei Sychev told media on 19 December, BelTA has learned.

“International cooperation is one of the strategies to develop the Belarusian pharmaceutical industry. If I was asked a year ago whether it was possible to set up new innovative manufacturing facilities in Belarus and launch the production of new-generation medicines, my answer would be definitely negative. Over the past 12 months, however, I have visited a number of new companies of Russia, including Biocad. I saw that with certain efforts and the rightly-chosen strategy and approaches everything is possible. Using the experience of the neighbors that are interested in developing cooperation, Belarus may become a state with a well-developed pharmaceutical industry,” Alexei Sychev said.

Biocad Director General and Founder (Russia) Dmitry Morozov stressed for his part that Belarus attaches great attention to providing the population with effective high-technology medicines for complex types of therapy. It is important that local companies adopt the world practices in medication manufacturing for the domestic competence development, he underlined.

Deputy Minister, Director of the Department of Pharmaceutical Industry of the Healthcare Ministry Valery Shevchuk confirmed that Belarus is interested in international cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry. The country can boast some positive examples of such cooperation. Among successful projects is insulin production by Belmedpreparaty Company and the production of bio-products at the Borisov Pharmaceutical Plant.

In January 2016 Belarus plans to launch the production of its first generics in biotechnologies. The joint company Nativita will open its manufacturing facility in the village of Beshenkovichi, Vitebsk Oblast to produce medications to treat oncologic and autoimmune diseases. The company will sell its products domestically and across the Customs Union. The construction of the manufacturing facility is underway. The first stage of the construction is estimated at about $10 million in investment. “The new production will help the country save budgetary funds that are allocated to purchase these products today. Medications will become more available to the patients that need them. Besides, it will provide our specialists with the possibility to adopt the experience of Biocad Company (the strategic partner of the project), and learn to work both in the research and manufacturing sector,” Alexei Sychev said.