Genzyme in orphan drug collaboration with Russia's ChemRar

US biotech Genzyme (Nasdaq: GENZ), the subject of a takeover by French drug major Sanofi-Aventis, has signed an agreement with the Russian non-state research complex ChemRar Hi-Tech Center on the development and production of innovative medicines for rare (orphan) diseases.

Genzyme is already a leader in rare diseases with market leaders Cerezyme (imiglucerase) for Gaucher disease and Fabrazyme (agalsidase beta) for Fabry disease, as well as Pompe disease treatments Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa) and Lumizyme (alglucosidase alfa). Establishing a presence is a way for international drug companies to secure guaranteed sales in Russia, which wants to reduce dependence on imported drugs.

At present, the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation is paying growing attention to the problem of treating and providing care to the estimated 1.5 to 5 million patients suffering from rare and orphan diseases. The appearance of domestically produced medicines for the treatment of orphan diseases on the Russian market will allow patients to get necessary treatment timely in order to preserve and improve their health conditions, it was noted.