AstraZeneca eyes expansion of Russia-made drug exports

Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) is considering initiating massive exports of its Russian-made drugs, particularly those produced at the capacities of its local plant in the Kaluga region, according to recent statements by Leonard Wang, executive vice president of AstraZeneca International Markets and head of AstraZeneca China.

The range of the drugs that are planned for export by the company is currently not disclosed, however, according to some leading Russian analysts in the pharmaceuticals field, that will be probably some of its flagship anti-cancer drugs, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

As Mr Wang said, the company currently considers Russia as one of the priority markets for its further development, which is also due to some steps that have been taken by the local government in the field of protecting intellectual property (IP) rights of global drugmakers operating in the local market, as well as the overall improvement of business climate in the country in recent years.