Medical sector

  • Russia approves first COVID-19 drug Coronavir for sale in pharmacies

    On September 21, 2020, Russia approved R-Pharm’s prescription drug Coronavir for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection. The antiviral drug is the first coronavirus drug to be introduced into pharmacies in Russia. Coronavir, a favipiravir product, targets the virus directly and blocks its reproduction.

     

    The approval of Coronavir was based on final data obtained during a phase III clinical trial in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 in the community and in the hospitals.

     

    In the study of 168 participants, the drug reduced the median time to clinical improvement by four days in COVID-19 inpatients and by eight days in a group of outpatients.

     

    On the seventh day, more than 50 percent of the patients reported a clinical improvement with Coronavir, which is 1.5 times higher than in the control group that was receiving standard treatment.

     

  • Nearmedic presents new test systems and devices at All-Russian Forum

    Nearmedic, a Russian pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and medical company, reported on September 17, 2020 that it plans to begin production of a new line of Martiflex medical products for bone regeneration, including Matriflex APATITE, Matriflex MATRIX, and Matriflex COLLAGEN.

     

    Production is to start at the BioPHARMAHOLDING, LLC site, which is part of the Nearmedic Group. All of the above products are based on the company’s patented original developments.

     

    The efficacy and safety of Matriflex products have been demonstrated in pre-registration tests carried out in accordance with the best international standards and practices. The results of these studies were recently published in Materials, a leading Swiss journal.

     

  • Drug to diagnose aggressive breast cancer passes trials

    On September 23, 2020, scientists received data on the first phase of clinical trials of a new radiopharmaceutical to diagnose an aggressive form of breast cancer. It was developed by the Tomsk Polytechnic University on the basis of technology unique to Russia, which uses a scaffold protein. The first phase of clinical trials was conducted last year at the Oncological Research Institute of the Tomsk National Research Medical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Twenty-nine patients have participated in the trials and the drug has been proven successful.

     

    The results have been published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine and were presented in September at the first Swedish-Russian online forum for young scientists.

     

  • Skoltech scientists discovered biomarker for diagnosing liver cancer

    On September 30, 2020, a group of Skoltech scientists led by Skoltech and Moscow State University professor Olga Dontsova announced the discovery of a novel liver-specific, non-coding RNA. The researchers tracked RNA levels in a healthy liver and one affected by carcinogenesis and suggested that RNA be used as a biomarker, creating a new panel of potential biomarkers for the postoperative diagnosis of various liver cancers.

     

    The findings were published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. The study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF).

     

    Tumor markers help doctors determine if a patient has cancer. One substance that can be used as a tumor marker at different concentrations is non-coding RNA, i.e. RNA molecules that do not encode proteins but play an important role in the regulation of cell activity. Non-coding RNA occurs in all somatic cells and in certain organs and tissues.

     

  • Rusatom & GE to localize advanced nuclear medicine

    On February 14, 2019, as part of the Russian Investment Forum, a Rosatom company, JSC Rusatom Healthcare (RHC, an integrator in the field of radiation technologies in medicine and industry) and GE Healthcare signed a roadmap to create local production of high-technology medical equipment to cater to the growing need of the residents of Russia’s regions in high-quality medical diagnostics and cancer treatment.

     

    The roadmap was signed by director general of JSC Rusatom Healthcare Aleksandr Shibanov and the chief executive officer of GE Healthcare in Russia/C.I.S. Nina Kandelaki. The document was signed in the presence of the First Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Sergey Tsyb.

     

  • Prospects for medical equipment

    The Russian medical devices market is very attractive for U.S. companies. The market is one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. It still heavily relies on imported medical devices, despite the Russian government’s efforts to develop a strong and robust medical technology industry.

     

    Public medical facilities prefer to buy medical devices from foreign manufacturers if they have the choice. In February 2017, the Russian government extended the re-registration deadline for medical devices until 2021, which saved a lot of time, effort, and money for medical devices manufacturers present on the Russian market.

     

    The total market size for medical equipment has been estimated at USD5,148 million for 2018.