Russian medicine increasingly relies on domestic (solutions), by Irina Rostovskaya for VZGLYAD. 05.28.2024.
Russia is experiencing rapid growth in an industry that until recent years was almost entirely dominated by foreign manufacturers - the pharmaceutical and medical industries. Hundreds of new drugs and medical devices developed in Russia have appeared, and entire medical clusters are opening. How has this been achieved in recent years?
In April of this year, the country registered the world's first drug for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, a severe and until recently considered incurable autoimmune disease.
Developments of this level have not been isolated in Russia recently. These include, for example, a method for treating brain diseases based on “reprogramming” skin cells into neurons, as well as a new drug against cancer. Russian medicines for psoriasis and diabetes are undergoing clinical trials. The drug Lantesens, an analogue of the spinal muscular atrophy drug Spinraza, one of the most expensive drugs in the world, recently received registration.
“Drug production increased over the past year by more than seven percent. 530 domestic drugs were released onto the market. Including the advanced ones,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in April.
“New tissue engineering products for the restoration of cartilage tissue, modern bionic prostheses, new heart valves and vascular prostheses are just some examples of the results that we were able to achieve,” confirms Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.
All this is happening in an industry whose degree of import dependence was not so long ago assessed as critical: experts spoke of a total dependence of about 90%. In particular, four to five years ago the share of production of domestic substances for the production of drugs was estimated at 5.5-6%, the rest was imported. And only 18% of medical products and equipment were produced by Russia itself.
In such conditions, it was obvious that the development of our own medicinal and medical industry should become one of the key issues in ensuring national technological sovereignty. Ensuring self-sufficiency in this area is not a political issue, but a very vital one, especially in the conditions of a hybrid war, actually launched against Russia, and the total restrictions adopted by Western countries against the domestic economy.
Pharmaceutical production directly affects the country’s ability to protect itself from epidemics and the consequences of emergencies, as well as the level and quality of life. The availability of high-quality domestic medicines and medical products is both a guarantee of the combat effectiveness of the army and a factor in the success of, for example, agriculture (if we talk about veterinary drugs).
The quality and life expectancy of citizens, their involvement in the economy, and the health of future generations depend on the availability of modern medicines and medical equipment. This is an important indicator of the development of the country as a whole and its attractiveness for living.
The medicinal industry, as well as the medical equipment sector, was marginally affected by the sanctions campaign - only a few items disappeared from the market. Most drugs, equipment and medical products are imported into Russia, but suppliers report logistical difficulties. Large pharmaceutical giants have not stopped their activities in Russia, but have significantly reduced them.
The actions of the country's leadership are aimed at ensuring that the required level of sovereignty in the production of medicines and medical equipment is achieved as quickly as possible. The import substitution program in the medicinal sector has been implemented since 2014 - and during this time 77 industrial production sites have been created in Russia. In the last two years alone, 14 new production facilities have been opened, including eight with the ability to produce pharmaceutical substances.
In the summer of 2023, the government approved the Pharma-2030 development strategy for the pharmaceutical industry. It assumes, in particular, an increase by 2030 to 90% of the share of strategically important medicines of domestic production.
The preliminary results of the implementation of the program were assessed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “A lot has been done here, but, of course, there is still more to be done,” he said in January 2024. The head of state also noted the results already achieved: “Of the so-called vitally important drugs, we already provide 75% through our own production.” Among the tasks, the president named supporting scientific developments in the medical field, expanding the domestic market, increasing the production of medicines, and working on training and retraining of personnel.
By the end of 2024, the national project “New Health Saving Technologies” should be developed and begin to be implemented. Putin gave the corresponding instructions to the government back in April. One of the most important tasks within the framework of the national project is the introduction of new domestic drugs, medical devices and biomedical cell products into healthcare. This task corresponds to the goal of strengthening state, cultural, value and economic sovereignty, increasing the country’s population and raising the standard of living of citizens, outlined in the new May decree of the head of state.
The medical industry and pharmaceuticals are now one of the most dynamically developing industries in the country. Manufacturers of medical products and drugs have access to preferential investment loans from the Industrial Development Fund, special investment contracts, venture investments made through the PharmMedInnovations fund, grants to finance scientific research and other support measures.
Thus, the share of domestic drugs in physical terms is 62.9% of the total volume - and this figure is growing steadily. Russia already produces 20% of the substances necessary for the manufacture of medicines itself (and not 6%, as before).
The production of medical products is also developing - original materials for prosthetics, diagnostic and therapeutic devices are being created. Although dependence on imports is still high, the numbers no longer look catastrophic. “Today, 75% of medical equipment in Russia is imported. Therefore, there is a huge niche here. We need to work in this direction, and we are working. Today we have about 150 items of various types of medical equipment produced at our enterprises,” noted Rostec head Sergei Chemezov in an interview with RBC .
Among the newest products of Rostec is the first Russian complex for non-surgical removal of tumors using focused ultrasound, a breathing support device for newborns, ventilators, diagnostic devices, and medications.
The production of diagnostic equipment is growing: X-ray systems, tomographs, ultrasound machines. Thus, the production of ultrasound machines from 2016 to 2022 increased almost 10 times, electrocardiographs from 2014 to 2022 - more than doubled, disposable syringes - 1.7 times.
About 80% of registration certificates for dressing medical products belong to Russian manufacturers. Hemostatic, wound-healing and anti-burn agents are being created and introduced into production. Since 2021, an enterprise has been operating in the country that produces latex for medical and technical gloves. Before this, the material was purchased only abroad.
Factories and laboratories are being built, cooperation between scientific centers and industrial enterprises is being created.
In December 2022, a line for the production of strategically important drugs was launched in Saransk, capable of producing up to a billion tablets per year. Production sites in Chernogolovka, Dubna, Korolev and Dolgoprudny near Moscow, ten new lines for the production of pharmaceutical substances in Bratsk, and large-scale production of vital drugs in the Irkutsk region will soon begin operations.
New scientific facilities are also being created: a laboratory for the development of new drugs was recently opened at Tomsk Siberian State Medical University. In the future, a pharmaceutical engineering center should be created on the basis of the university.
On behalf of the head of state, this year a center for the production of gene therapy drugs should be founded on the basis of the Russian National Research Medical University named after. N.I. Pirogov. The possibility of creating centralized services using artificial intelligence technologies is being studied, which will allow medical organizations located in the regions to conduct diagnostic studies using technological developments and capabilities of the capital region.
One of the key aspects of industry development is related to the level of trust in domestic products. It takes years to develop a reputation in this area. And although more than half of Russians prefer domestic medicines and only a quarter prefer imported ones, the inertia of consciousness among both doctors and patients is quite strong. “It often happens psychologically that a person is accustomed to a certain medicine, but this is important, even psychology is very important, whether a person believes in this medicine or not,” the head of state previously noted.
This means that the Russian market of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, gaining greater independence, will remain open to foreign medicines and technologies, and develop international cooperation and scientific exchange. This is also one of the conditions for the country’s technological sovereignty.
https://vz.ru/economy/2024/5/27/1268612.html
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