A corporate conflict has emerged within the pharmaceutical company Infamed. Business FM spoke with one of its co-founders to understand if a shortage of products is to be expected.
Media reports indicated that the production of these popular antiseptic and eye drop medications would cease in Russia, citing restrictive measures against the manufacturer. Although the owners` lawyer later denied this, the market became concerned.
The history of this highly popular drug is noteworthy. In the 1990s, a group of entrepreneurs revitalized Soviet antiseptic developments, initially conceived as a means to combat infections on space stations. The first batch of what would become `Miramistin` was marketed with an `before and after` label, referencing its use in preventing venereal diseases.
Anfisa Chekhova even served as the product`s `face,` showcasing the bottle on television in the guise of a nurse. Over time, Miramistin`s scope of application expanded, and the pharmaceutical company Infamed grew into a multi-billion ruble business. Currently, it holds exclusive production rights for `Miramistin` and `Okomistin,` with sales from January to July surpassing 3 billion rubles.
A crucial point is the existence of two legal entities: Infamed and Infamed-K. The litigation primarily concerns the former, which does not directly manufacture the drugs but owns the registration certificates. Ruben Markaryan, the owners` lawyer, claims his clients—Irina Khugaeva and Vitaly Nikolaev—were persuaded into a fictitious deal to sell half of the company at a non-market price, allegedly by spouses Pavel and Oksana Kheyfits. Currently, three disputes involving these four names are in court, concerning share purchase agreements, with the Kheyfits initiating two of them. Markaryan declined to answer further questions from Business FM, stating in a letter:
“The production of the drug is currently under no threat, and the dispute between Infamed owners Irina Khugaeva and Vitaly Nikolaev and spouses Pavel and Oksana Kheyfits is unrelated to the direct manufacturing of the drug and does not jeopardize its production and successful realization.”
Ruben Markaryan advocate
As per the lawyer`s statement, the interim measures imposed are not a ban on drug production but specifically a prohibition on the alienation of rights to the registration certificates.
Infamed-K, a separate company, produces the pharmaceutical substance for `Miramistin` and includes the factory in the Kaliningrad region. According to SPARK data, it belonged to Infamed co-founder Andrei Gorokhov until 2021, and then to his son Anton. Ownership changed again in June. Andrei Gorokhov is now a State Duma deputy and has left the business. Here`s what he told Business FM about the corporate dispute and who is currently involved in Miramistin production:
— First, I have left the company and am now a State Duma deputy. Second, this is a rather lengthy conflict, but production is working, and products are being supplied, so there will be no shortage. This is Infamed LLC, where the owners had a falling out, and we are Infamed-K.
— Production of the drug is currently ongoing at the Kaliningrad factory. Could there be any changes to its operations? According to SPARK, the owner changed in June.
— That`s right, the owner changed, the company was sold to Otcpharm; they are sorting out the conflict, but production is working, deliveries are going, so there is no shortage.
The State Duma urged people not to buy up `Miramistin` due to fears of a shortage, while some media outlets suggested the whole situation was a PR stunt for the drug. Industry publications calculated that its sales this year have, so far, roughly matched last year`s. There are also analogues on the market, such as Chlorhexidine, says Nikolay Bespalov, Development Director at RNC Pharma analytical company:
“There are also indirect analogues from other manufacturing companies besides Infamed. Evalar, for example, makes a similar product, and a number of other companies, including Pharmstandard, produce and sell small volumes.”
Nikolay Bespalov Development Director at RNC Pharma analytical company
However, `Okomistin` sales in May—the latest available data—fell by almost 30% compared to April, reports `Pharmaceutical Bulletin.` In June, Infamed filed a lawsuit to declare Infamed-K`s production of `Okomistin` illegal but later withdrew it. According to Roszdravnadzor, no series of these eye drops has been introduced into circulation since January.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth