Nanolek announced its intention to start the production of biotechnological substances by the end of 2023. This was announced at the opening of the Nanolek R&D Early Development Center in Pushchino near Moscow on September 17.
“Indeed, this is a new stage for us. For today, we have completed the project (editor’s note: the opening of their own R&D center) and allocated a huge building for the production of our own substances. We plan to launch this production by the end of 2023,” Mikhail Nekrasov, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Nanolek, commented on the expansion of the vaccine production in the company at the opening of the center in Pushchino.
The investments in the R&D center in Pushchino amounted to 50 million rubles; in total, Nanolek will allocate 2 billion rubles until 2025 for the early development of its own medicines, the company reported.
“For a pharmaceutical company, investing in early development is extremely risky,” Vladimir Khristenko said. “We decided to create our own R&D center and develop our own medicines from scratch only after accumulating serious competencies in production and technology transfer. In 2020, the company’s revenue was 12.5 billion rubles; Nanolek also entered the top five among manufacturers of vaccines for the national vaccination calendar: its products now account for about 20% of vaccines purchased for the implementation of the national vaccination calendar.”
The president of the company added that Nanolek is planning to become a leader among vaccine manufacturers in Russia within five years, which means adding at least four new vaccines to its portfolio.
“We already manufacture a lot of products within the framework of the National Calendar of Preventive vaccinations. Our main goal is to meet the needs of our country in terms of supplies of vaccines for the implementation of the National Calendar of vaccination. If we can do this, it will allow us to take a leading position within 5 years,” Khristenko said.
In addition to covering the needs of the domestic market, the company intends to export its products. “To enter foreign markets, first of all, we have to establish full cycle manufacturing. If you buy a substance abroad, then it is extremely difficult to make a ready-made dosage form and enter the export markets with it. Secondly, we need to develop our own technologies first. This is a difficult and thorny path,” said Vladimir Khristenko, President of Nanolek.
According to Svetlana Zakirova, Deputy General Director of Nanolek for Development and Research, the first step for further development of the company’s export potential is the creation of its own early development center: “Early development and early scaling. This is what was necessary for the jigsaw puzzle to be complete, for us to call ourselves a full-cycle company. This is important from several points of view: the presence of our own developments allows us to be more competitive, and not only in the Russian market. This is also our response to the challenges of the pharmaceutical industry development in the Russian Federation.”
