Kedrion, the leading biopharmaceutical company in the haemoderivatives sector whose principal headquarters is in Tuscany, is to set up a technology exchange in Russia. In 2006, in Kirov in the Volga region, work will begin to set up the first Russian factory producing international standard plasma-derived products.
The factory, which will be fully operating by 2010, is the result of a technology exchange contract agreed by Kedrion and the German company Glatt Engineering with local health authorities, in particular the Volga Institute (the national centre of expertise in the field of blood products for the federal service with responsibility for health and social development).
The factory in Kirov, with more than 250 highly qualified employees and the capacity to prepare 300,000 litres of plasma per year (which can be increased to 600,000 litres), will produce about 50 million units of Factor VIII (for treatment of haemophilia type A), about 90 million units of Factor IX (for treatment of haemophilia type B), about 9 metric tons of albumin (for treatment of hypoproteinaemia) and about 1,200 kg of intravenous immunoglobulin for treatment of immunodeficiency).
The order has a total value of slightly less than 100 million euros while Kedrion’s share is about 12 million euros for transferring production know-how – specific technology, validation, monitoring production start-up and setting up an intensive training programme.
Creating the factory in Kirov will have two effects. In the first place it will quadruple the availability of plasma derivates in a system where production is particularly low. In the second place, production in Kirov will have impact in terms of promotion and expansion at treatment level, increasingly higher standards for doctors and patients, creation of opportunity to save resources and support for the process of production autonomy.
