Rafarma Pharmaceuticals Video (translated) The
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The history of the Rafarma company began in 2006. One of the largest projects in the Russian medical industry over the last several years, it was created by the health care services. The word Rafarma stands for Russian Antibiotics. The main activities of Rafarma are producing antibiotics, and conducting scientific research in the area of new antibiotic development. The manufacturing facility is being built in Lipetskaya oblast in the special economic zone called Terbuny.
Aleksand Vasilievich, President & CEO of Rafarma
“In 2009 Vnesheconom Bank provided a 66 million euro loan, to be paid back over 7 years, for the construction of the facility”.
This decision was made at the highest levels, where Putin was the chairman of Vnesheconom Bank . The construction is also supported by Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade and by the Ministry of Health and Social Development, in addition to support from the administration of the Lipetskiy region. This project reflects the strategy of the Russian Federation for the pharmaceutical industry, which was developed for the period until 2020. The high point of this project is to establish a modern, highly-efficient production base which would satisfy GMP standards, making Rafarma products highly competitive in domestic and global markets. The Rafarma plant is being built in two stages. The first stage concludes at the end of 2010 or the beginning of 2011. The entire plant will go online in the beginning of 2012.
Aleksand Vasilievich, President & CEO of Rafarma
“The production includes both widely-known antibiotics as well as more specific types, such as cytostatic drugs.
Rafarma's goal is to become the largest pharmaceutical plant in Russia, satisfying both GMP and world standards, and to create favorable conditions to attract the largest pharmaceutical companies from outside Russia engage in contract-based pharmaceutical production.
Aleksand Evgenievich Polstyanov, Development Director of Rafarma
“Because antibiotics are special with respect to drug production and require specific technology for manufacturing, according to GMP standards their production should be separated from the production of other kinds of drugs. The idea behind this project is to create a facility where each building segment will be responsible for the production of certain types of drug. For example, for penicillin production there will be a building block where all drugs that include penicillin will be produced, including injection types represented by dry powder, dry suspended mixtures for children, and oral forms like capsules and pills. The second building block will be engaged in cephalosporin production. Although both penicillin and cephalosporin belong to beta-lactam antibiotics, they require separate manufacturing facilities. The third building block will produce non-beta-lactam antibiotics which include macrolides and fluoruquinolones in various forms such as injections and oral forms. The plant will also be capable to produce cytostatic drugs which are also called anti-oncological drugs. They will be produced in a separate building block where there will be no contact with other drugs or people.”
All production departments will share one packaging and storage area where packaging, labeling, and other activities that don't invlove interaction with the active drug ingredients will be performed. Such alignment will satisfy the world-standards requirements in pharmaceutical production. Production of 101 million units of antibiotics and 869 thousand units of antitumorals per year will cover six main consumer segments: Moscow and the Moscow region, the Krasnodar region, Saint-Petersburg, and the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.
Rafarma manufactures 28 antibiotic products and 11 cytostatic products. Rafarma production will cover 20% of sales in Russia, bringing the importation of foreign drugs down by 60-70 %.
Aleksand Evgenievich Polstyanov, Development Director of Rafarma
“The facility will also be capable of assisting pharmaceutical production in general. For example, it will produce glass for pharmaceutical needs, ampules, and mattresses(vials), as well as packaging materials. It will also perform distribution functions, covering several areas in the Central Federal region.”
The plant is built in such a manner so that in the future it can expand even more. The plant itself is the first stage in creating a pharmaceutical base in the Lipetskiy region. The Health project has plans to build four pharmaceutical plants.
Aleksand Evgenievich Polstyanov, Development Director of Rafarma
“Rafarms is the first fruit, the engineering and beginning of construction performed by a foreign company, Jim Project. Our general contractor is another Czech company Unistaf.”
Today, Rafarma works on several innovative projects. This is possible due to collaboration with several leading scientific establishments.
Alexey Mihailovich Egorov, Vice Director of Scientific Development
The main area of our research is the creation of new technologies. Our country used to be a leader in pharmaceutical production in the Soviet era, but lost this position, so we are working on creating new methods by using innovative methods of bioengineering.”
In 2007 a Chernogolovka branch was opened.
Pavel Yurievich, CEO of Rafarma's branch in Chernogolovka
“Nowadays this complex comprises more than 1000 square meters within which we can conduct research on creating new medical products, starting with creating the basic chemical molecule of a new active ingredient, up to the production of a new medical formula.”
Now Rafarma can produce all kinds of medical products that satisfy GMP requirements.
Pavel Yurievich, CEO of Rafarma's branch in Chernogolovka
“We have a sector that manufactures medical substances in volumes of 2,6, 10, 50, and 100 liters.”
All research work is conducted under Russian Academy of Science.
Pavel Yurievich, CEO of Rafarma's branch in Chernogolovka
“Doctors and masters of sciences work in our facility. Here we have both production labs and labs designated for research work, where we can test the manufactured products and work on creating new ones.”
Rafarma produces a new form of medical product which has prolonged features, allowing a pill to be taken just once in several days. Prolonged formulas decrease the amount of intake of the product, thereby decreasing its side effects.
Alexey Mihailovich Egorov, Vice Director of Scientific Development
“An example of such a prolonged product is risperidone. It allows for a consumption rate 100 times less than normal. It is much safer for the patient. This can also be said about antibiotics. For example, azithromycin can be produced in micro granules. One dose of two grams over ten days period can cure from various respiratory system diseases.”
One of the biggest problems in modern medicine is the development of drug resistance. Over the last fifty years bacteria have learned how to produce more than fifty types of different ferments that destroy antibiotics. The task ahead for the modern pharmaceutical world is to learn how to produce antibiotics that will be effective and resistance-efficient.
Alexey Mihailovich Egorov, Vice Director of Scientific Development
“Rafarma creates a product with a fluorine molecule that destroys a cell's membrane . It can work both internally and externally, when emergent care is required.”
Another task for modern medicine is to diagnose diseases as fast and early as possible.
Alexey Mihailovich Egorov, Vice Director of Scientific Development
“Along with Moscow University we are working on creating biochips which allow the identification of several hundred parameters of causative organism and their mechanisms of resistance. Now we can perform the diagnosis within several hours instead of several days, like it used to be.”
Rafarma works closely with Moscow State University, the Russian Academy of Science, the Insitute of Chemical Physics in Chernogolovka, the Institute of Laser Technology, and RUDN University.
Alexey Mihailovich Egorov, Vice Director of Scientific Development
“Scientists who work with us create a very strong, although virtual, workforce. I'm confident that after the construction is done, we will be able to organize the production of highly-efficient and competitive products”.
The realization of Rafarma project will promote the overall health of the population and increase lifespans, due to the increased safety of medical products and the decreased reliance on foreign imports.
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