A cross-agency Coordinating Council for the Development of Domestic Pharmaceutical Innovations has been established in Russia to launch systemic support for the creation of innovative medicinal drugs across the full cycle, according to Innopraktika`s press service.
The creation of this council follows a five-party agreement signed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The signatories include the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Education and Science, Innopraktika, and the `Innovative Engineering Center`, as stated by the press service.
They clarified that the goal of the agreement is to provide comprehensive support for the entire lifecycle of innovative drug development using proprietary development lines, from identifying biomolecular targets to accessing the international market. The agreement sets specific targets for results by 2030 and 2036.
The collaborating parties have agreed to jointly build a national portfolio of promising innovations in the pharmaceutical industry. These initiatives will focus on meeting the needs of the domestic market and facilitating exports to friendly countries.
“As part of the agreement`s implementation, we will analyze promising directions for fundamental and applied scientific research and assess the prospects for studying biological targets and developing new medicinal drugs needed by the healthcare system,” added Deputy Minister of Health Sergey Glagolev, as quoted by the press service.
The press service also reported that during the first meeting of the interdepartmental Coordinating Council, the work plan for 2025 was approved. The results of this joint work are expected to be presented at the `National Healthcare – 2025` forum.
Nikolay Kolpakov, Director General of the `Innovative Engineering Center`, explained that the council plans to invite various organizations to participate in its work, including the Federal Medical-Biological Agency, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the state corporation `VEB.RF`, the Russian Science Foundation, and other development institutions, expert subordinate organizations, scientific institutions, and universities.
“To achieve the set goals within the framework of the agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Health, and corporate research centers of domestic pharmaceutical companies, the research agenda for analyzing, forecasting, and monitoring the need for innovative medicinal drugs in the Russian Federation will be agreed upon and synchronized,” noted Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Denis Sekirinsky, as quoted by the press service.
Natalya Popova, First Deputy General Director of Innopraktika, expressed confidence that a comprehensive approach to industry development will allow domestic innovative pharmaceutical products to increase their share in the national market for government procurement of original medicinal drugs by 2030 and continue this growth in the future.
“The signing of this agreement is an important step in strengthening cooperation between the state, science, and industry for the creation of innovative domestic drugs,” emphasized Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Ekaterina Priyezzheva, whose words were provided by the company. She added that joint work will enable Russia to create “world-class innovations” by using “horizon scanning” tools and combining the best competencies of the agreement participants.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth