KAZAKHSTAN DEVELOPS COOPERATION WITH AMERICAN PHARMACY GIANT PFIZER

On February 22, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan Azhar Giniyat, Chairman of the Board of SK-Pharmacy LLP Erkhat Iskaliyev met with representatives of the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

During the meeting, the parties discussed topical issues of expanding the presence of the American company in Kazakhstan, including the joint implementation of projects in the field of vaccine production in Kazakhstan.

This meeting is one of the steps in the implementation of the Memorandum of Cooperation with Pfizer, concluded during the visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to New York in September 2022.

In pursuance of the instruction of the Head of State in terms of enhancing cooperation with global pharmaceutical corporations, the parties discussed mutually beneficial partnerships in the framework of technology transfer, the latest developments, the production of export-oriented products and the creation of innovative sectors of the pharmaceutical industry.

The development of domestic pharmaceutical production as the basis of Kazakhstan's national drug safety is an important direction of long-term state policy. The President attaches particular importance to this area, instructing to increase the share of its own pharmaceutical production to 50% by 2025.

The parties raised issues of improving the regulatory framework and creating a favorable investment climate for the implementation of projects to localize the production of pharmaceutical products in Kazakhstan.

As a support for import substitution with representatives of world brands, amendments and additions to the legislation have already been developed, simplifying the processes of localization of patented original drugs in Kazakhstan, by concluding long-term contracts between the Single Distributor and contract manufacturing customers.

It should be noted that since 2011 the Single Distributor has been purchasing 11 Pfizer drugs. Since 2012, the supply of 4 drugs has been carried out under a direct contract concluded with the manufacturing plant. In addition, during the pandemic, Kazakhstan purchased and used the Comirnaty vaccine against COVID-19 produced by Pfizer.

At present, the parties are working out detailed steps for the implementation of joint investment projects planned until 2025.

Reference:

Pfizer is an American pharmaceutical company, one of the largest in the world, with an extensive portfolio of innovative pharmaceutical products in promising therapeutic areas. The company annually invests more than $7 billion in research and development of new medicines.

The priority areas of scientific work for the company are rheumatology, oncology, cardiovascular diseases, neurology and pain management, metabolic diseases, rare diseases, biosimilars, vaccines.

Research centers and laboratories are located in the USA (Andover, Cambridge, Groton, La Jolla, Pearl River, San Francisco, St. Louis) and the UK (Cambridge, Sandwich). The company's assets in 2018 amounted to $59.4 billion, with sales of $53.6 billion.