On April 18, the jury of the 24th Platinum Ounce competition, a gathering of pharmaceutical industry professionals, announced the best* drugs and companies of the year. Nanolek secured second place in the "Dynamics of the Year" category for its supply of drugs to the public sector. Additionally, the company's Pnemotex and PoliovacSin vaccines were awarded third and fourth place, respectively, in the "Launch of the Year" category. Notably, this year marks the first time that vaccines have been listed among the competition's top products in its over 20-year history.
The awards reflect Nanolek’s significant contributions to immunoprophylaxis. The company currently leads the domestic market for pediatric vaccines, with a portfolio that includes modern immunization agents against diseases listed in the National and Regional Preventive Vaccination Schedules (NPVS and RPVS). The vaccines Pnemotex, which prevents pneumococcal infections, and PoliovacSin, which protects against three types of the poliomyelitis virus, both awarded in the "Launch of the Year" category, are available under the NPVS. PoliovacSin is produced through a joint venture between Nanolek and Invac, a federal scientific center for immunobiological drug research and development named after M.P. Chumakov of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"Both vaccines are rapidly growing and in high demand in our portfolio. By 2030, we plan to produce an average of 3.3 million doses of Pnemotex and 1 million doses of PoliovacSin annually. Notably, PoliovacSin is the first domestic polio vaccine manufactured entirely within the Russian Federation," stated Elena Stukun, Deputy General Director for Commercial Activities at Nanolek.
Looking forward, Nanolek aims to significantly expand its product portfolio, focusing on the development of vaccines against human papillomavirus, pneumococcus, chickenpox, and shingles. An investment of 5 billion rubles is planned for the construction of new facilities for biotechnological substances and pharmaceuticals at the Nanolek site in the Kirov region. The company also plans to expand its portfolio of original drugs for cancer and rare diseases.
"The importance of vaccine prophylaxis in supporting national healthcare policies is growing increasingly critical. With the active development of import substitution, our strategy is focused on the expansion of our product portfolio, including the development of new domestic vaccines and the enhancing of our full-cycle production capabilities," said Vladimir Nesterenko, General Director of Nanolek.
The Platinum Ounce, All-Russian open competition for pharmaceutical professionals, was established in 1999 and held its inaugural ceremony in 2000. Often referred to as the "Russian Pharmaceutical Oscar," the competition's expert council consists of over 500 members, including top executives from leading pharmaceutical companies, health authorities, and respected public organizations and media covering the pharmaceutical sector. It is worth noting that top managers on the expert council are prohibited from voting for their own companies, drugs, or projects.
*https://vk.com/video-37484482_456239669