Russian pharma relies on own resources

The plant in Saransk is ready to ensure the national safety.

The pandemic gave us a very short respite – new wave of morbidity began to rise in Russia. Every day, reports are becoming more and more alarming; patients gradually occupy beds in hospitals again. The new sub-variants of the Omicron strain, which rule the ball today, differ not only in their improved ability to spread, but also know how to easily bypass the immunity developed for other strains and vaccines. In a situation where preventive measures do not always work, the role of coronavirus infection therapy increases.

Reporters from Moskovsky Komsomolets (MK) newspaper visited one of the pharmaceutical enterprises, the Biokhimik plant (part of Promomed Group) in Saransk, Republic of Mordovia, to find out whether our domestic pharma is ready to ensure the safety of drug supply. Petr Bely, chairman of the board of directors of the Promomed Group, assessing the current increased responsibility of the Russian pharmaceutical industry, recalled at SPIEF 2022 that the understanding that one should rely only on one's own resources appeared three years ago. According to him, thanks to the relevant decision, the tools and innovations developed to combat COVID-19 in Russia saved hundreds of thousands of lives, ensured the safety of drug supply in the country and were ahead of similar developments abroad in many aspects.

Searches for etiotropic remedies for COVID-19 have been underway since the beginning of the pandemic. At first, doctors had to act almost blindly. There was no time to develop new drugs and the only available option was to investigate those already on the market. There were many trials and errors: the first waves of infection showed that a number of drugs failed to prove their effectiveness. However, in parallel, the search for new drugs was carried out, and today we can talk about a number of real breakthroughs in this industry.

From a small plant to a pharmaceutical giant

The Biokhimik plant in Saransk is located on 22 hectares of land. Thanks to the following the most stringent environmental standards and using the equipment with modern purification systems, it is one of the most environmentally friendly enterprises in Russia today.

Since 1959, the plant was focused on the production of antibiotics, but the crisis of the 1990s hit the entire industry and the plant was almost in ruins. At the beginning of the 21st century, outdated generics were produced here which were in low demand on the market.

But in 2015, a new round of the history of the plant began, Biokhimik became part of Promomed Group, one of the key players in the Russian pharmaceutical market. In just a few years, the company managed to completely modernize and reconstruct the plant. The process is still under way: the construction of new workshops and the launch of new production lines continue, but today Biokhimik is one of the largest pharmaceutical production facilities in the country operating in full-cycle mode, from producing drug molecules to packaging finished products. The plant has its own production of pharmaceutical substances (biological, chemical) used to "cast" finished dosage forms (ten different types). The largest R&D center with laboratories on about 2 thousand hectares also operates on the territory of the plant: it is such places where scientists discover new breakthrough therapies for diseases. There are about 200 new drugs at the development stage today.

By the way, about scientists. The management of the company works in close cooperation with the local Ogarev Mordovia State University. The university opened the Department of Chemistry and Technology of Physiologically Active Substances in cooperation with Promomed: students are sent for practice and training to the laboratories and workshops of the Biokhimik plant. The most talented graduates are invited to work at the Biokhimik plant.

The capacity of the plant (including five workshops equipped with high-tech equipment) makes it possible to produce a wide range of drugs. Today, more than 250 various drugs are released from the production lines, 80% of which are included in the list of vital and essential drugs. This is the widest range of drugs used to control infections (antivirals and antibiotics), drugs for endocrinology, neurology, cancer treatment, and general therapy; they create the basis for the national safety of drug supply. The enterprise portfolio is constantly expanding. At the same time, all the plant's products meet the most stringent international standards of quality, safety and efficacy, which are constantly increasing.

Hitting the virus

Researches at the plant have been working on the creation of drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 for several years. Promomed was one of the first to develop and launch the production of a favipiravir-based antiviral drug, which was approved back in June 2020. Favipiravir was immediately included in the clinical guidelines for the treatment of coronavirus infection of the Russian Ministry of Health. Next, the antiviral drug Esperavir, an analogue of the American product based on molnupiravir, was launched.

The company's latest development for targeted etiotropic therapy of COVID-19 was created on the basis of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. The Russian Ministry of Health approved Skyvira at the end of April 2022. The recognized experts in medicine are confident that the appearance of new domestic drugs will make it possible to quickly suppress the new wave of infection and, most importantly, prevent the development of post-COVID complications in thousands of patients.

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

The development of new anti-coronavirus agents in our country continues. The same can be said about products for the treatment of other diseases that contribute to the disability and mortality statistics: cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and so on. In his speeches, the Russian President repeatedly emphasized that the health of the nation is the basis for the development of the country, therefore the government should regard this area as one of the main areas of its activities, and called on the government to pay close attention to the national health.

The plant managers told us that the focus of the company's development for the coming years is the development of original drugs based on biotechnology, in cooperation with leading Russian scientists. This will not only reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, but also make domestic medicines more available for consumers and affordable in price. In the future, the company plans to develop biotechnology, which will make a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer, ageing-associated diseases and other threats to human life and health, because the company's mission is to make people healthy, beautiful and happy, in which it invests its knowledge, experience and passion.

Source: Moskovsky Komsomolets