MP: pharmaceutical industry in Belarus developing systematically and dynamically

Import substitution in the pharmaceutical industry is a key to the country's technological sovereignty and national security, and Valery Malashko, the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Healthcare, Physical Culture, Family and Youth Policy at the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, explained how much Belarus has progressed in this sphere

“The pharmaceutical industry is developing systematically and dynamically in Belarus. In a little more than two decades, a separate branch has emerged from several enterprises, and its management system has also undergone transformation: initially, it was the State Committee under the Council of Ministers, then the Belbiopharm Concern was established, and the Department of Pharmaceutical Industry under the Healthcare Ministry was subsequently formed. For several years already, the Belpharmprom Holding has been operating,” the MP noted.

Mr. Malashko added that, according to experts, the global pharmaceutical market annually grows by about 8 percent, and it has already reached 1 trillion conventional units. “It is clear that Belarus has no moral right to lag behind these trends, and the pharmaceutical industry has been identified in the republic as a breakthrough point of industrial growth during the current five-year period. At present, four dozen pharmaceutical enterprises manufacture medicinal products in Belarus, and – as a result – about 70 percent of all drugs on the Belarusian market are domestically produced. I would also like to note that the republic is actively exporting its products: sales to Russia, China, the CIS countries, and the African continent bring $200m+ annually to the budget,” he said.