Clusters, long-term plans to advance Belarusian pharmaceutics to new levels

Mikhail Myasnikovich

VITEBSK, 2 March (BelTA) – Clusters and long-term planning will give an incentive to the development of the pharmaceutical industry. The opinion was voiced by Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich during his visit to the Vitebsk State Medical University on 2 March, BelTA has learned.

“Combination into clusters, long-term planning and the selection of potential manufacturers… These links should be connected if we want the domestic market filled with Belarus-made medications,” said Mikhail Myasnikovich. “As part of support for national manufacturers it is necessary to arrange the relevant tenders at an early stage and choose the companies that can undertake to develop and make the relevant medications. So that in the future we could sign long-term contracts to purchase these medications.” By doing so, the head of the upper chamber of the Belarus parliament explained, potential manufacturers will get guarantees of their sales before major investments need to be poured into science and manufacturing.

According to Mikhail Myasnikovich, the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly has taken the matter up to the Council of Ministers. The Healthcare Ministry and the Trade Ministry have been given the relevant instructions.

At the same time cluster-based development requires additional legislative efforts, pointed out Alexei Sychev, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the country's first medical and pharmaceutical cluster Healthcare and Pharmaceutics — Innovative Projects. “In the Russian Federation about 35 legal acts regulate these matters while in Belarus there is only one act. What do we have as a result? We have developed a program to set up an R&D center for developing original medications in the Vitebsk State Medical University. For example, as a manufacturer I would not invest in the establishment of a super lab if I am unable to keep it busy. Many developers and manufacturers face the same problem. We have neither the scientific potential nor the work experience. The medical university has both. Our program has been approved by the Healthcare Ministry and the Vitebsk Oblast administration. But when we presented the program before the State Science and Technology Committee, it was turned down due to formal matters because the legislation disallows appropriating funds of, let's say, the innovative foundation to the university as an object of the cluster movement. The cluster and its participants are not objects of the innovative infrastructure,” explained Alexei Sychev. Mikhail Myasnikovich agreed that the proposal on legislative regulations was a timely one.

Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich was in Vitebsk Oblast on 2 March. In Vitebsk he visited the medical university where he was made familiar with the organization of the education process and with scientific accomplishments. Mikhail Myasnikovich talked to the university's professors and students. He learned about the first results achieved by the region's pharmaceutical cluster. After that the head of the upper chamber of the Belarus parliament visited the company Polymerconstruction, the Vitebsk fur factory, and Beshenkovichi District where a pharmaceutical factory of the company SOOO NatiVita will become operational this year. Investors from three countries take part in the project.

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