Novartis, AZ, Sanofi advance in Russia

Big Pharma is advancing on the Russian front. Novartis showed its resolve with a groundbreaking last week for a $500 million manufacturing plant. The facility is slated to produce branded and generic drugs.

The greenfield project is located in the Novoorlovskaya Special Economic Zone, located north of St. Petersburg. It's expected to produce 1.5 billion units per year and provide 350 jobs. CEO Joseph Jimenez (photo) says Novartis is wants to make an investment in the country for long term growth.

Other companies that have said they also will advance on Russia with a manufacturing presence are Nycomed, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi. Last week SCHOTT inaugurated a production site for primary pharmaceutical packaging in Zavolzhe, near Nizhny Novgorod. The site is expected to put 60 people to work producing ampules and vials, says Glass onWeb.

The production forces are being supplemented by an AstraZeneca R&D presence, a Predictive Science Center, also in St Petersburg.

- check out the Novartis release
- here's the story (sub. req.)
- see this InfoGrok article
- and here's the Glass onWeb take