A round table was held on cooperation in the framework of the creation and development of medical and pharmaceutical clusters between Kazakhstan and South Korea.
The round table was organized by the Single Distributor SK-Pharmacy LLP with the assistance of the Institute for the Development of the Healthcare Industry of South Korea - the Korean Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI).
We remind that in August 2021, the State visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev to Korea took place, which laid the foundation for further expansion of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Representatives of KHIDI, large Korean pharmaceutical clusters of Gyeonggi, Incheon and Songdo took part in the round table from South Korea.
Representatives of the Single Distributor, Kazakh Invest JSC, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Astana Medical University NC JSC, akimats of Nur-Sultan, Shymkent, Aktobe region, industry associations, domestic producers, Kazakh National Medical University named after S.D. Asfendiyarov.
The Head of State noted the importance of cooperation with global pharmaceutical corporations, attracting investors, ensuring technology transfer and the latest developments.
The Single Distributor takes an active position in the cooperation development in the field of pharmaceuticals between Kazakhstan and South Korea, which finds the support and special attention of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan R. Sklyar.
Thus, as part of the activities carried out to support the domestic production development of pharmaceutical and medical products, the Single Distributor takes the initiative to provide a platform for major brands to enter the country from packaging to the full production cycle.
During the round table, the Single Distributor presented a vision for the implementation of the cluster initiative, and also provided analytical information on the state of the Kazakh pharmaceutical market and SK-Pharmacy LLP in the medicine supply system.
In addition, the production of medical equipment and consumables will be actively developed. The President of the country instructed to expand the volume and range of off-take contracts with domestic producers. The share of medicines and medical products of domestic production must be increased from the existing 17% to 50% by 2025. These areas are open for investment, and such projects will receive full support from the state.
Kazakhstan is the first trade and investment partner of the Republic of Korea in Central Asia. Korea is one of Kazakhstan's strategic partners in East Asia. The Land of Morning Calm is already the second largest trading partner in Asia. In addition, Korea is among the top 10 largest investors in our country. Over the past 15 years, Korea has invested more than $6 billion in the economy of Kazakhstan. At the end of last year, the volume of bilateral trade reached $5.9 billion.
The pharmaceutical market in South Korea is one of the most dynamically developing markets in recent years. South Korea has taken the path of innovative development in the field of promising areas of science, localization of the production of biosimilars, attraction of public and private capital, and mobilized the best international specialists to the country.
Based on the results of the round table, the Single Distributor proposed, together with the KHIDI office, the Ministry of Health, SK-Pharmacy, Kazakh Invest JSC and akimats, to work out the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation, as well as develop and approve a roadmap for the establishment of regional medical and pharmaceutical clusters.
The Single Distributor has announced proposals for the production development of expensive innovative products, the promotion of the industry in the direction of technology transfer and its digitalization. In particular, the initiative to establish medical and pharmaceutical clusters in the Republic of Kazakhstan and developed a top-level structure of clusters in Nur-Sultan, Aktobe and Shymkent.
Also, it was proposed to visit large Korean pharmaceutical clusters as part of the exchange of experience. The Single Distributor will send a request to provide a list of Korean manufacturers of pharmaceutical and medical equipment, as well as medical schools for the establishment of R&D centers.
The parties noted that a direct dialogue would be beneficial for both parties, would also serve to expand the horizons of cooperation and give impetus to the development of investment partnerships in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals. The development of cooperation in the framework of the experience exchange in the creation of medical and pharmaceutical clusters opens up broad prospects for both the healthcare system and business.
At the same time, the Korean side expressed interest in mutual cooperation, exchange of experience and holding a round table within the framework of the 17th international convention BIO KOREA for interested Korean companies with Kazakh pharmaceutical manufacturers to clarify the conditions, benefits and preferences for potential investors, provide analytical information on the state of Kazakhstan pharmaceutical market.
Reference:
KHIDI is a government agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea. KHIDI Institute was founded in 1999 to provide professional and systematic support for the development of the Korean medical industry in order to increase its competitiveness in the global market.
The goal of KHIDI is to promote institutions and companies that provide high quality and modern medical services, contributing to their transformation into a driving force for the Korean economy growth. KHIDI is committed to creating a "Korean Wave" on the global stage by combining the strengths of Korean medical services, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment and beauty products.