Russia's Biotech BIOCAD Sheds Light on its Plans for Algeria

Technology transfer to localize drug production is becoming a global trend,Chairman of Board of Directors at BIOCAD Dmitry Morozov told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of the Russia–Africa Summit.

In his view, technology transfer is an issue of vital importance to Algeria, which is perfecting its healthcare system.

"At the moment, it's a global trend to manufacture medicine domestically, in cooperation," he said.

Globalist Model no Longer Works

BIOCAD will, in fact, be creating a technological platform that will enable operations connected to its own facilities to be carried out on Algerian territory.

"The globalization model, in which one huge factory supplies the whole world, will no longer work. We realized that the future belongs to mobile, manageable technological lines that could be located in any country to produce medicine," Morozov said.

His company has succeeded in developing approaches for such technology lines and is offering some of its technology to its Algerian partners, he noted.

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Free Deliveries

At the same time, for a partner to be keen on acquire a technology, they need to test a drug and see the results of using it.

The company will deliver a considerable quantity of drugs free of charge "so that Algerian doctors can try using them to treat cancer," Morozov explained.

"We will deliver them free of charge on a humanitarian basis, and doctors will have access to these anticancer drugs. I believe that these humanitarian deliveries represent an interesting function that pharmaceutical companies can take on," he added. "At the same time, our partners will produce this medicine in Algeria and doctors will use it in their daily practice."

Other Partnerships

Algeria is not BIOCAD's only African partner. In North Africa, it's Morocco, with which the company has been working for over 10 years.

"Thanks to this cooperation, SOTHEMA (a Moroccan pharmaceutical company), a local player, occupies a dominant position in its own market," he elaborated. "We will consider various versions of partnership to localize the production of our drugs in South Africa."