WORK HAS BEGUN ON THE CREATION OF A MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL CLUSTER IN THE AKTOBE REGION

On April 13, SK-Pharmacy LLP, together with the Akimat of the Aktobe region, also with a partner, Kazakh invest, held a meeting on the creation of pharmaceutical clusters in the region by the type of R&D centers.

The meeting was held with the participation of Akim of Aktobe region Urazalin Ondasyn. Also, the meeting was attended by representatives of JSC SEC Aktobe, Aktobe Regional University named after K. Zhubanov, West Kazakhstan State Medical University named after. M. Ospanova, RSE on PVC AktobeMedical Center, JSC Aktyubrentgen, as well as domestic manufacturers of pharmaceutical products.

The head of state noted the importance of cooperation with global pharmaceutical corporations, attracting investors, ensuring technology transfer and the latest developments. The share of medicines and medical products of domestic production must be increased from the existing 17% to 50% as early as 2025. Thus, as part of the activities carried out to support the development of domestic production 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.

One of the main directions of the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry until 2025 adopted by the Government is the development of pharmaceutical science and the creation of new industries with the participation of global players.

In this regard, it seems appropriate to create pharmaceutical clusters through the involvement of domestic research institutes, scientific laboratories, large medical universities, domestic production sites, the involvement of investment project support institutions, local executive bodies, as well as the deployment of clusters in free economic and industrial zones like R&D centers.

In addition, the production of medical equipment and consumables will be actively developed. The President of the country instructed to expand the scope and range of off-take contracts with domestic producers. These areas are open for investment, and such projects will receive full support from the state.

The most attractive regions for the creation of pharmaceutical clusters in the republic are the cities of Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent, as well as the Aktobe region due to the concentration of production sites and leading medical universities on their territory.

In pursuance of the Comprehensive Plan and in order to build successful interaction with industry stakeholders, the Single Distributor sent proposals to akims of regions and cities on the issue of creating regional pharmaceutical clusters, taking into account the interests of administrative-territorial units included in their borders as part of free economic zones.

Also, the Single Distributor held a round table with large Korean pharmaceutical clusters with the assistance of the Institute for the Development of the Healthcare Industry of South Korea on cooperation in the framework of the creation and development of medical and pharmaceutical clusters between Kazakhstan and South Korea.

The pharmaceutical market of 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 developed proposals for the development of the production 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-pharmaceutical clusters and developed a top-level structure of clusters in Nur-Sultan, Aktobe and Shymkent.

The participants of the meeting were also presented with state support tools for the development of pharmaceutical clusters. The parties noted that government agencies, science and business should work together on the tasks set and develop in tandem.

It should be noted that Kazakh manufacturers today produce basic medicines, which, according to the WHO classification, are classified as vital medicines. Today, in order to ensure national medicine safety, it is critically important for Kazakhstan to establish a full cycle from development to production of medicines and medical devices.

Following the meeting, the participants noted that the creation of pharmaceutical clusters is a painstaking work that requires the creation of a single platform for the interaction of all involved institutions and companies.

Pharmaceutical cluster is a group of geographically localized interconnected innovative firms - medicine developers, manufacturing companies; suppliers of equipment, components, specialized services; infrastructure facilities: research institutes, universities, technology parks, business incubators and other organizations that complement each other and enhance the competitive advantages of individual companies and the cluster as a whole.

This is an important strategic direction that solves several socially significant tasks at once. This is a matter of new jobs, raising the level of the scientific base, the transition to GMP standards, the creation of innovative medicines, the popularization of the domestic pharmaceutical industry and, of course, the economic development of the region in which the cluster is being built. Combining the efforts of Kazakh companies around the creation of clusters in different regions of the country and investing in their development both from the state and private capital will ensure the growth of production of import-substituting products and attract foreign companies to the construction of pharmaceutical plants in Kazakhstan.