Russia's Cytomed opens new factory in Finland

Cytomed, one of Russia’s leading drugmakers, has officially opened its new factory in Finland. The new plant is located near Lappeenranta, near the border with Russia, and has already received a license from the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea for the production of drugs.

According to Alexander Hromov, general director of the company, this is the first Russian production in accordance with GMP standards in Europe. Cytomed chief executive Julia Volkova added that much remains to be done in the six months before the facility becomes operational. Routine pharmaceutical production should begin between March and April next year, she added.

The start of production is scheduled for spring 2014. The company plans to produce its flagship drugs in Finland, among which are its antiviral agent Tsitovir, Timogen, a drug for treatment of immune deficiency and Prostatilen, which is designed for the treatment of prostatopathy. All the drugs will be produced in capsules, powders, suppositories and creams. At the initial stage, the output of the new factory will be sold in the Russian market, while later it is expected to be exported to the European Union.