BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 3.
Kazakhstan plans to launch production of 494 new types of medicines
under eight major investment projects, Minister of Health Akmaral
Alnazarova said at a government meeting.
According to the government's press service, the
projects are expected to create more than 1,200 jobs and strengthen
the country's pharmaceutical security. The total value of
agreements signed by the Ministry of Health for the eight projects
amounts to $862 million. Production will be launched in stages,
with the first 300 types of medicines scheduled to be manufactured
between 2027 and 2030.
Alnazarova also noted that Kazakhstan's
pharmaceutical industry has been showing steady growth. In 2025,
domestic pharmaceutical production increased by 37%. In the first
eight months of 2026, output reached 157 billion tenge (about $346
million), nearly 30% higher than in the same period last year.
Investment in the sector has increased 3.3 times over
the past two years, while exports have grown 1.9 times.
According to the minister, the main importers of
Kazakh-made pharmaceutical products are Russia, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Moldova. One example of the industry's
expansion into international markets is the first shipment to
Bulgaria of sitagliptin, a medicine used to treat diabetes,
manufactured in Shymkent.
Alnazarova said that the Ministry of Health will
continue expanding long-term contracts with manufacturers and
improving procurement mechanisms for domestically produced
medicines. The new projects are expected to strengthen the
country's pharmaceutical manufacturing base and expand the range of
medicines produced in Kazakhstan.
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.
