DEVELOPMENT OF DOMESTIC PHARMACEUTICALS: KAZAKHSTAN-POLISH PARTNERSHIP

On June 7, a meeting was held between the head of the Single Distributor, Erkhat Iskaliyev, and the largest Polish manufacturer of medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients, Polpharma Group, and a manufacturer of medicines in Central Asia, JSC Chimpharm with the SANTO trademark.

The leadership of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, representatives of the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control, the National Center for Expertise of Medicines and Medical Devices and the Department of Drug Policy of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan also actively participated in the meeting.

On the agenda, the parties discussed a number of issues of drug supply and the development of domestic pharmaceuticals, including patient access to essential locally produced medicines, contract manufacturing, export markets in Central Asia, and labeling issues.

To date, 9 long-term contracts for the supply of 186 types of medicines have been concluded between the Single Distributor and Chimpharm JSC. The statistics show an annual increase in the share of purchases from Chimpharm JSC.

In September 2011, Polpharma Group became a shareholder of the domestic manufacturer JSC Chimpharm with the SANTO trademark. The shareholder's investments are aimed at the construction of new and modernization of existing production facilities in accordance with international quality standards of good manufacturing practice (GMP).

  "SANTO Member of Polpharma Group" is the largest pharmaceutical company in Kazakhstan and part of the international pharmaceutical group Polpharma, which operates in the markets of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The head of state in his message instructed to increase the share of medicines and medical products of domestic production to 50% by 2025. In addition, he noted the need to attract investors, ensure the transfer of technologies and the latest developments, expand the volume and range of off-take contracts with domestic manufacturers.

In pursuance of the instruction, during the meeting, it was proposed to create a Trading House to promote the export of domestic medicines, as well as to allocate grants for research and development of new domestic medicines. As a result, this will contribute to the strengthening of domestic production, which will ensure the drug safety of the entire country.

A separate topic for discussion was the extension of existing long-term contracts with the Single Distributor, which are an effective tool for supporting and developing the Kazakh pharmaceutical industry.

The result of an open and constructive dialogue was a common understanding of the need to develop criteria for determining the duration of delivery times and conduct an appropriate analysis of the domestic pharmaceutical market to develop appropriate proposals.

The scientific potential of the country was not left without attention. Polpharma Group expressed its readiness to invest in the development of the innovative potential of the cluster and the research and development sector. An important role in this direction is played by the SANTO R&D center, which became the basis for combining the functions: research and production as part of a cluster.

It should be noted that the production site of Chimpharm JSC is located in Shymkent, where one of the medical and pharmaceutical clusters in the country has been created. Their main task is to conduct scientific research, create import-substituting medicines, including by using the potential of long-term contracts, conducting preclinical and clinical trials.

Having studied the results of international experience, the Single Distributor took the initiative to create medical and pharmaceutical clusters in Kazakhstan.

The medical and pharmaceutical cluster gives rise to new opportunities for the development of industrial and scientific potentials of Kazakhstan. It will also be able to accumulate all available resources of industry enterprises to attract investment in the regional pharmaceutical industry and the production of domestic products.

The importance of the functioning of medical and pharmaceutical clusters was also noted by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov during his visit to Shymkent, noting that the state attaches a strategic role to projects that contribute to the development of local production of medicines in the context of geopolitical changes in the world in order to reduce dependence on imports and ensure national and drug safety.

At the end of the meeting, it was noted that it is necessary to consolidate joint efforts in order to achieve more effective indicators of the development of the industry.

Reference:

Chimpharm JSC (trademark SANTO Member of Polpharma Group) is part of the international pharmaceutical Group Polpharma, operating in the markets of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The company develops, manufactures and supplies affordable high quality medicines to the markets of Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

SANTO is the leader of the pharmaceutical market in Kazakhstan with a portfolio of more than 240 generic drugs in 12 pharmacotherapeutic groups for the treatment of diseases in various fields of therapy.

Currently, the Company is implementing the largest investment project to modernize existing pharmaceutical production facilities in accordance with international GMP standards, the volume of which is about 108 million US dollars.