Russian PM visits country's first commercial manufacturing plant for MAb-based therapeutic proteins

Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev on Monday visited the commercial manufacturing facility for monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based therapeutic proteins of Russia’s lading biotech company CJSC Biocad.

This private facility is unique in Russia and Easter Europe. It produces MAb-based active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for biological products that are widely used in treating oncological and autoimmune disorders. The visit occurred in the context of the Presidium's meeting of the Russian Presidential Council on Innovations and Modernization. The focus of this meeting was on innovative developments in medical equipment and pharmaceutical industry.

Commercial production capacity of the MAb facility at Neudorf fully meets current Russia's demand in MAb-based biologics most commonly used for oncology and autoimmune disorders. It will allow for substitution of such high-value imports as Swiss drug major Roche’s Herceptin (bevacizumab), Avastin (trastuzumab) and MabThera (rituximab). The price of the three biosimilars of these products in Russia will be lower than that of the originator's