On November 17, as part of the Kazakhstan Round Table on Global Investments, a long-term agreement was signed between the Single Distributor SK-Pharmacia and the international biopharmaceutical company Pfizer. As part of this agreement, the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer undertakes to supply a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to Kazakhstan for 10 years from the date of organizing contract production of the innovative vaccine in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The vaccine will be purchased by the Single Distributor, which since 2009 has been organizing the centralized purchase of medicines purchased from the state budget for further transfer to healthcare organizations. The regional President of the company in the Middle East, Russia and Africa (MERA) region, Patrick van der Loo, arrived in Kazakhstan to sign the document.
Kazakhstan became the first country in the Eurasian region and Central Asian countries where this vaccine passed the state registration procedure. The Republic is also the first region in the world where Pfizer plans to establish contract production of this vaccine.
This cooperation was made possible thanks to the Government's initiatives to attract key industry players at the international level as part of the Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Industry Development Plan. Extensive work was carried out to prepare for the organization of contract manufacturing on the basis of the sites of Kazakh manufacturers for the exchange of experience and technology transfer through cooperation with leading representatives of the global pharmaceutical industry.
American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer ranks first in all key priority indicators. For example, the company topped the list of drugmakers in terms of revenue last year, earning a whopping $100.3 billion last year, an all-time high for the company. Pfizer also took a leading position in this area at the end of 2023 thanks to the promotion of research projects to create potentially breakthrough drugs and vaccines.
The President of Kazakhstan has repeatedly noted the importance of intensifying cooperation with global pharmaceutical corporations, attracting investors, ensuring the transfer of technologies and the latest developments, and also ordered to increase the share of domestically produced medicines and medical products to 50% already in 2025.
In February of this year, a Roadmap for the implementation of the project was signed between Pfizer, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
These efforts are an example of an integrated approach for the progressive development of domestic industry and its clustering thanks to government support measures. SK-Pharmacia, in turn, is the conductor of these measures, ensuring long-term purchases of medicines since 2009, and now from contract manufacturing customers based on local sites.
“Ensuring the availability of modern medicines, including vaccines, is among the priority areas for the development of healthcare in Kazakhstan. We see our goal as building an effective system for uninterruptedly providing citizens with the medical solutions they need in the long term - this is exactly what our partnership with Pfizer, which has been successfully lasting for more than 10 years, is aimed at. And today begins a new milestone in our fruitful cooperation. At the same time, the agreement with Pfizer is our first long-term contract with a foreign contract manufacturing customer for an original patented drug, and this important event was made possible thanks to the company’s desire to localize in the Kazakh market,” noted Erkhat Iskaliyev, Chairman of the Board of SK-Pharmacia LLP "
Vaccination against pneumococcal infection has been included in the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations of Kazakhstan since 2010. Before the start of mass immunization, pneumonia was one of the leading causes of death in children under 1 year of age in the country[1]. The introduction of vaccination into the National Calendar made it possible to reduce the mortality rate among children in this age group by more than 2.5 times[2]. Pneumococcal infection causes significant damage not only to the health of citizens of Kazakhstan, but also to the country’s economy. Vaccine prevention helps both maintain public health and reduce the financial burden in the long term[3]: it helps reduce the number of hospitalizations[4], preventing temporary disability for patients and their families[5].
Kazakhstan is a strategically important destination for Pfizer. It has been supplying a diverse portfolio of medicines, including vaccines, for many years. The search for new opportunities to expand access of Kazakhstanis to innovative therapeutic solutions offered by the company continues to this day. Thus, according to the concluded agreement, Pfizer plans to organize contract production of a new pneumococcal vaccine in the country over the next three years, and then will supply a localized vaccine over the next 10 years.
The 20-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine was registered by the Ministry of Health for use in adults earlier this month. It is based on the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine, widely used in Kazakhstan and the world, and provides the widest coverage of pneumococcal serotypes among all conjugate vaccines available today. Currently, the innovative vaccine has already been approved for use among adults in at least 40 countries around the world.
The importance of immunizing adults against pneumococcal infection, along with children, is emphasized by representatives of the medical community around the world[6]: this infection can cause pneumococcal pneumonia[7], which in adults often requires hospitalization, including in the intensive care unit[8]. In large risk groups, the disease can occur with complications. These include older people (65+) who use nicotine-containing products, as well as people with chronic diseases and weakened immune systems[9]. That is why it is necessary to ensure access to modern means of protection against this dangerous infection for wide groups of the population.
“I am proud to be here today in Kazakhstan and sign this agreement with SK-Pharmacia. Pfizer has decades of experience developing and bringing innovative vaccines to multiple markets, allowing us to provide patients with access to these effective healthcare solutions where they are needed. Partnerships are an important and valuable tool for us, and ensuring patient access to our cutting-edge solutions would not be possible without joining forces.”
Cooperation with the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will bring to Kazakhstan not only new technologies, but its entire philosophy of health. Health philosophy is a comprehensive approach to understanding and achieving health. Today we see the galloping growth of technologies that are changing the practice of healthcare delivery, the healthcare system and the world as a whole. Today, in addition to localizing production, the company intends to continue cooperation and conduct a number of joint projects in the country.
Сегодняшнее важное событие – подписание одного из первых долгосрочных договоров Казахстана с BigPharma, а именно международной фармацевтической компанией Pfizer определенно даст импульс дальнейшему динамичному развитию отрасли в стране. Стороны выразили уверенность в перспективном и плодотворном сотрудничестве и дальнейшем укреплении стратегического партнерства.
An important aspect of interaction between the parties is plans to deepen cooperation in educational projects and scientific and medical activities.
Pfizer's investment strategy includes supporting the development of human capital and skills in Kazakhstan, developing educational programs and opportunities for local medical students, researchers and healthcare professionals.
In addition, the company will continue to promote and develop scientific medical activities in Kazakhstan by collaborating with local universities, research institutes and innovation centers.
Today’s important event - the signing of one of the first long-term agreements between Kazakhstan and BigPharma, namely the international pharmaceutical company Pfizer, will definitely give impetus to the further dynamic development of the industry in the country. The parties expressed confidence in promising and fruitful cooperation and further strengthening of the strategic partnership.
Forreference:
Pfizer is a leading international biopharmaceutical company with a broad portfolio of innovative pharmaceuticals and vaccines in promising therapeutic areas. The company is present in more than 180 countries, working every day to improve the prevention and treatment of the most serious diseases of our time. Pfizer invests more than $10 billion annually in the research and development of new medicines and vaccines.
SK-Pharmacy LLP - the Single Distributor system was created with the aim of providing medicines to the population within the framework of the guaranteed volume of free medical care and in the social health insurance system, increasing the sustainability and competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, developing the pharmaceutical industry through the consolidation of government procurement of medicines.
