BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 3. A new
pharmaceutical plant will be built in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with
investments exceeding 39 billion tenge (about $86 million),
Chairperson of the Management Board of Nobel Almaty Pharmaceutical
Factory JSC Svetlana Kil said at a government meeting.
The project is also expected to lay the groundwork for domestic
production of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
One of the key areas of development will be expanding the
localization of international medicines. Kazakhstan has already
localized the production of four medicines developed by Roche -
Kadcyla, Herceptin, and Perjeta - as well as Forxiga by
AstraZeneca. In addition, an agreement has been signed with Sanofi
to localize vaccine production.
The new plant will provide for further expansion of
manufacturing processes. During the first stage, scheduled for
2030-2033, the company plans to develop the production of finished
dosage forms, transfer technologies, and establish full-cycle
manufacturing.
The next stage, covering 2034-2036, will involve the launch of
active pharmaceutical ingredient production, which is expected to
gradually reduce dependence on imported raw materials.
Under the investment agreement, the project provides for the
localization of 40 international nonproprietary names (INNs) of
medicines, covering 68 production items across 12 therapeutic
areas. The main focus will be on oncology and hematology,
accounting for 17 and seven INNs, respectively.
In 2030, new production areas are expected to be introduced,
covering rheumatology, immunology and the treatment of pulmonary
arterial hypertension. In 2032, the company plans to launch six
production items involving biological medicines - five for oncology
and one for hematology.
"Technology transfer and the training of qualified specialists
will support the development of professional expertise in the
pharmaceutical industry. Expanding manufacturing capabilities and
complying with quality requirements will create conditions for
promoting Kazakh pharmaceutical products in foreign markets," Kil
said.
The project is part of efforts to develop Kazakhstan's domestic
pharmaceutical industry through deeper localization, the adoption
of modern biotechnologies and stronger resilience in the country's
medicine supply.
The currency conversion was made at the National Bank of
Kazakhstan's exchange rate of 453.64 tenge per US dollar as of
November 3.
