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Russia will produce unique cancer drug

A Russian plant will produce an innovative drug for multiple myeloma (a cancer of plasma cells – ed.). The Russian biopharmaceutical company Nanolek and Janssen Biotech, a unit of the global Johnson & Johnson corporation, have agreed to develop the local production of the drug.

The official portal of the Kirov Region government has announced the news, as the company’s biomedical production facilities are located in that region.

Under the agreement, the company will launch the production of Darzalex (daratumumab), a drug used to treat multiple myeloma. Its production in Russia will help expand access to the innovative therapy for domestic patients with multiple myeloma, which remains an intractable type of cancer. The drug was included in the high-cost nosologies program after it was registered in Russia in 2017.

Nanolek’s biomedical production facility in the Kirov Region was built with support of the Rusnano Corporation, which has been the company’s investor since 2011. Currently, Rusnano has withdrawn from the shareholding of the Cyprus-registered Nanolek Holding Limited (controlled by Nanolek). The plant, developed on an area of 29K sq m, is capable of producing more than 4 bln pills and 35 mio bottles of drugs per year. Nanolek is actively involved in the import substitution program for drugs as part of the Pharma 2020 federal targeted program.

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