Russian pharmaceutical companies looking to enter the U.K. market – and vice versa – will meet with their British counterparts at a two-day conference at the Skolkovo innovation centre next week to forge new partnerships in developing innovative medicine.
One of the conference sessions will be dedicated to carrying out clinical research in the U.K. Photo: Pixabay.
The Future of Pharma: U.K. & Russia event on May 24-25, organised by the Skolkovo Foundation, the U.K. Trade & Investment department (UKTI) and the British Embassy in Moscow, aims to establish business and scientific contacts between the two countries in the pharmaceuticals industry.
“The focus of the event is ultimately on the future of drug development, thus embracing the Russian government’s current agenda to develop the country’s own, modern life sciences ecosystem,” said Yana Pavlovskaya, lead adviser on healthcare at UKTI in Russia.
U.K. biopharmaceutical companies have long been present in Russia, she said. “Both Astra Zeneca and GlaxoSmithKline are actively working in support of the country’s modernising healthcare agenda, including localising drug manufacturing in-country,” said Pavlovskaya.
There is mutual interest among British and Russian companies to carry out joint research, enter each other’s markets or cooperate there with major industry players, said Kristina Khodova, a project manager in the Skolkovo Foundation’s biomed cluster and one of the event’s organisers.
“Before this, we were regularly cooperating on an ad hoc basis – we had companies that worked in the U.K. as service providers there, there are investors considering investing in British companies, there was interest in the U.K.’s technology institutions – and we decided to bring it all together in an event devoted to pharmaceuticals,” she said.
On the first day of the conference, the speakers will mostly be representatives of British companies – including U.K.-based pharma giants Astra Zeneca and GlaxoSmithKline – who will explain what opportunities there are in the U.K. for Russian drug developers.
Kristina Khodova from the Skolkovo Foundation's biomed cluster. Photo: Sk.ru
“Twelve British companies active in drugs manufacturing and clinical and contract research will travel to be participants of this event,” said Pavlovskaya. “All are keen to share best practice and competencies available from within the U.K. in drug development process and clinical trials, service industries supporting clinical research and the U.K. infrastructure for trials.”
Jon Mowles of the UKTI Life Sciences Organisation will present support mechanisms available from UKTI to foreign-owned companies looking to collaborate, base or expand their life science business in the U.K.
Russian entrepreneurs with personal experience of developing new drugs in the U.K., such as Maxim Kholin, business development director and co-founder of Gero, a resident company of Skolkovo’s biomed cluster working on a drug to treat infections caused by MRSA, will take part in a panel discussion moderated by Mikhail Samsonov, medical director of the R-Pharm group of companies that specializes in hi-tech medical products.
Research exchange
Another session is devoted to carrying out clinical research in the U.K. Russian pharma companies wishing to sell their drugs on the U.K. market must have carried out part of their clinical research in the U.K. in order to get the drug licensed, as must British companies seeking to enter the Russian market. Exceptions are made for orphan drugs - those developed to treat rare illnesses known as orphan diseases - when it is difficult to find the required number of patients to undergo trials, but in general, conducting clinical research in each other’s countries is the first step to expanding onto their markets, said Khodova.
“The Russian clinical research market is huge, because we have quite a large population, so we have many patients, and many centres that are accredited to carry out clinical research,” she said.
Many international companies choose Russia for their clinical research, which is a mutually beneficial process, said Khodova.
“The doctors and quality of the work are of a high standard, they already have many years of experience,” she said. “And for our doctors, it’s a chance to get early access to the latest medicines.”
Khodova said both countries could learn from one another in the field of clinical research, and that Russia could learn from U.K. expertise in the area of health technology assessment.
“They already have an established system, while Russian regulators are working on this actively: work is underway but there is experience to be learned from in the U.K.,” she said.
Find a partner
British pharma giants like GSK already operate in Russia. Photo: Flickr.
The second day is aimed at providing the British participants with information about working in Russia, said Khodova.
“We will tell them about the Russian pharmaceutical, biotech and investment markets,” she said.
“The U.K. participants will be equally keen to hear about Russia’s current push on creating a modern pharmaceutical industry and healthcare infrastructure, and look at specific areas for future collaborations and partnerships,” said Pavlovskaya.
On both days, time will be set aside for partnering sessions, in which conference participants can set up face-to-face meetings with representatives of other companies to discuss possible areas of cooperation.
“The dedicated one-to-one partnering sessions in the margins of the main conference event will highlight what the U.K. offers to foreign businesses wishing to export from as well as invest in the U.K.,” said Pavlovskaya.
Kirill Kaem, head of the Skolkovo Foundation’s biomed cluster, said the conference would spark new ideas and areas of cooperation in scientific research between Russia and the U.K.
“The pharmaceutical industry and development of medicines are today part of global processes,” he said.
“Due to the changing model of the search for new medicines, the economic efficiency of innovative activity is directly linked to international approaches at all stages, from lab research to the commercialization of the product. Cooperation in the development of medicines ultimately increases the availability and quality of medical care and improves the economic indicators of healthcare systems, which is currently one of the most important tasks for both Russia and the U.K.,” he added.
Dr. Laurie Bristow, British Ambassador to Russia, said that global healthcare challenges require closer cooperation in the creation of new and innovative medicines.
“Russia and the U.K. are at the cutting edge of fundamental science, applied research and the commercialization of the latest developments in this area, so I am glad of the opportunity for an open dialogue between the business and science communities of our two countries,” he said.
The Future of Pharma: U.K. & Russia conference will be held at Skolkovo’s Hypercube on May 24-25. Attendance is free of charge but those wishing to attend should register in advance. There will be simultaneous interpretation in both English and Russian.