Leadership Potential of Russia on the Global Pharmaceutical Market Discussed at SPIEF
Within the framework of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a strategic session titled “From Sovereignty to Technological Leadership: New Benchmarks for Russian Pharma” took place. Government officials, representatives of scientific institutions, and pharmaceutical industry experts discussed what is required for Russian-made drugs to enter and lead the global market. The event was moderated by Alexandra Perfilieva, a TV hostess of Russia 24 channel.
Today, participants in the Russian pharmaceutical market face an ambitious goal—not only to achieve technological sovereignty and competitiveness, but to attain global leadership, to anticipate and shape the future of the pharmaceutical industry. This will demand enormous efforts from both the state and businesses, including development of the bioeconomy, small-scale chemistry, and related sectors; emergence of innovations in genetics and biomedicine; and accelerated adoption of AI and other IT tools to optimize drug development processes, among others.
During the session, representatives of regulatory authorities, academia, and business sectors addressed multiple aspects related to these challenges and proposed strategies for advancing Russia's pharmaceutical industry on its path to global leadership.
The session was opened by the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Murashko: “We have significantly revised our regulatory framework to facilitate rapid adoption of innovative drugs. Many manufacturers are actively engaged in this process. For instance, we've established fast-track procedures for registering new oncology drugs, enabling immediate inclusion in national health guarantee programs. As a result, 85% of drugs registered in Russia are now domestically produced. Additionally, costs for drug registrations have decreased 3.5 times compared to the pre-pandemic period.”
Evgenia Shapiro, General Director of PSK Pharma, pointed out that for many years, Russian pharmaceutical companies focused primarily on producing generics that could compete with Big Pharma products: “Like most Russian pharma companies, we started by introducing import substitution products. For example, we launched generics for the asthma and COPD treatment. We fought for market share and consumer trust and achieved a point where every second subsidized patient now receives a PSK Pharma medication. We have already learned how to compete with Big Pharma in the generics segment. But that won’t give us a global advantage. . Now we're entering the second stage —developing innovative drugs. To achieve leadership internationally, merely improving existing molecules won't suffice We need entirely new molecules, and their development is a costly and complex process requiring resources that private companies simply don’t have. That’s where state support is essential.”
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, Ekaterina Priezzheva, participated in the discussion. She emphasized that innovation-driven growth in the industry relies heavily on two key documents: the Pharma 2030 Strategy and the National Project for New Preserving Health Technologies: “By 2030, we must ensure at least 90% local production of drugs from the list of essential medicines, 80% for socially significant medications, 95% of radiopharmaceuticals, and 40% of medical devices.” she said. “Moreover, 80 projects for the production of raw materials previously not manufactured in Russia are to be implemented.”
Anna Samoilova, Head of Roszdravnadzor (Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare), stressed the importance of quality alongside: “Today, we monitor online drug sales via marketplaces and websites, blocking those that offer counterfeit or unregistered medications. There are 14 laboratories nationwide responsible for ensuring drug quality control. We're beginning to use neurotechnologies for inspections, such as remote monitoring via the Inspector app.”