Pharm Aid CEO Metov Discusses the Drugs Russia Needs to Substitute with Domestic Production

Russia needs to replace many drugs that were previously imported, according to Azamat Metov, General Director of the pharmaceutical company Farm Aid, which owns the plant.

“This includes modern monoclonal antibodies, biological drugs, anti-cancer drugs, and of course, vaccines,” explained Metov.

Import substitution will become possible once the pharmaceutical plant near Kaluga, which was left unfinished by Pfizer and Novamedika, is operational.

“Our company must ensure Russia’s national technological sovereignty, so we are focusing on vaccines that are not available in the country. For example, we have completely acquired the production technology for the rotavirus vaccine from the Indian manufacturer Serum Institute,” Metov explained.

The resumption of construction is planned for 2023, with the launch of full-cycle production of the first drug—the rotavirus vaccine—scheduled for 2029. In the future, the company plans to expand its portfolio to include vaccines for the prevention of diseases caused by human papillomavirus, chickenpox, and meningococci.

“We are also looking into oncology products, monoclonal antibodies. We have many plans. We want to work not only with Indian or Chinese developers but primarily with Russian ones—we have a strong interest in collaborative work,” Metov said.

For more details on the current stage of construction, see the article on Gazeta.Ru.

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