Russian Pharmaceutical Industry Leader
22.01.2021
The first large-scale batch of Remdeform (INN Remdesivir) – the drug to treat COVID-19 – is ready for production at the Irkutsk Pharmasyntez plant
The first large-scale batch of Remdeform (INN Remdesivir) – the drug to treat COVID-19 – is ready for production at the Irkutsk Pharmasyntez plant
Antibiotics and antiviral drugs which include a new coronavirus treatment will be produced at the new large-scale production site of the Irkutsk Pharmasyntez plant.

January 22, Igor Kobzev, the Governor of the Irkutsk Region, visited the production site and assessed the organization of the production process.

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The new department is intended for the production of solid, lyophilized and injectable drug products. The project investments were estimated to be over 1 billion rubles with 270 high-tech jobs created.

The industrial equipment of the new site is represented by the world's leading manufacturers: Romaco, Ulman, Fette and Tofflon. The production is equipped with filling and tableting lines, three packaging lines and two freeze drying units with an area of 20 m² each.

“Late last year Remdeform (INN Remdesivir) was authorized for marketing by Pharmasyntez. Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation has it included in the treatment regimen for a new coronavirus infection. The first product scale batch (22,000 packages) will soon be released for marketing. The medicine will be distributed through the healthcare system to medical organizations throughout Russia,” said Vikram Puniya, President of Pharmasyntez Group.


Evgeny Orachevsky, CEO of JSC Pharmasyntez, added that starting February the company is planning to produce about 45,000 to 50,000 drug packages weekly.

The Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev noted: “Today, as never before, we are aware of the company's significant role in the prevention and treatment of the new coronavirus infection. The release of the drug Remdeform will make a significant breakthrough in the fight against infection. Despite the unstable economic situation in the country it is a pleasure to witness all company's plans being completed on time."


In general, the production capacity allows the release of more than 4 billion tablets and 18 million bottles per year, of which more than 13 million are solutions, concentrates and emulsions; 5 million lyophilisates for the infusion preparation – the form that Remdeform (INN Remdesivir) is already being produced here.

In Russia, as elsewhere in the world, there is a need for Remdesivir in moderate or severe patients diagnosed with the new coronavirus infection. Earlier, the Ministry of Healthcare included it in the list of drugs recommended for the treatment of COVID-19. The Irkutsk Pharmasyntez plant is the only one in Russia where Remdesivir is produced. The new site capabilities will provide the opportunities to meet the demand for this drug throughout the country and save many human lives.

The new investment project was implemented with the support of the Irkutsk Region Government; in 2019 a subsidy was provided using regional budget funds for the purchase of the equipment on lease. In less than three years these funds will be recovered to the regional budget as taxes.

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The Irkutsk Region Governor was also introduced with a new physicochemical laboratory of the QC department where the quality of manufactured products, as well as incoming raw materials and intermediates are controlled. The laboratory occupies almost 800 m² and is provided with the equipment produced by international manufacturers: Shimadzu, Agilent, Mettler Toledo, AND, Erweka. The laboratory instruments account for 34 chromatographs with different detector types that allow the application of unique drug analysis methods.

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As of today, Pharmasyntez is the absolute leader and the largest investor in the pharmaceutical industry across the country. The realization of all the company’s investment projects provides the import decrease and drug safety at the state level due to the production of domestic viable drugs.