Nanolek has submitted an application to include the anticancer drug Brukinsa in the list of Vital and Essential Drugs (VED). In 2021, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation approved Brukinsa for the treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

Developed by scientists at the international oncology company BeiGene, Brukinsa is globally recognized in clinical programs for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. Under the terms of the strategic partnership formed with BeiGene in 2020, Nanolek has obtained exclusive rights for the distribution, promotion, pharmacovigilance, and secondary packaging and quality control of Brukinsa in Russia and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. Discussions are underway to localize drug production within Russia.

After a brief interruption in March 2022, Brukinsa supplies to Russia have now resumed under the continued partnership between Nanolek and BeiGene.

Adding Brukinsa to the VED list will improve access for patients struggling with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma, a particularly rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that predominantly affects the elderly and is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Each year, more than a thousand new cases are diagnosed in Russia.

The VED list includes more than 800 international generics and more than 5,000 trade names, the prices of which are regulated by the government. A special commission of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation is responsible for the compilation of the VED list, which is subsequently approved by the Government.