KAZAKHSTAN IS EXPANDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NETHERLANDS

Continuing to work in pursuance of the President’s instructions regarding intensifying cooperation with global pharmaceutical corporations, technology transfer, attracting investors and increasing the share of domestically produced medicines and medical products to 50% already in 2025, the Unified Distributor paid a working visit to the Netherlands.

The Kazakh delegation also included representatives of QazBioPharm JSC, the National Center for Expertise of Medicines and Medical Devices.

During the working trip, the Kazakh side met with the leadership of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), an agency that evaluates medicinal products for their compliance with the requirements set out in the European Pharmacopoeia. The organization plays an important role in the functioning of the EU single market for medicines.

EMA acts as a decentralized scientific agency and is responsible for the protection and promotion of health, directly by coordinating the evaluation and monitoring of centrally and nationally registered medicinal products, developing technical guidance and providing scientific advice to clinical trial organizers.

The parties exchanged experience in the field of registration of drugs in the country, conducting examinations and clinical trials, as well as monitoring the safety of drugs on the market.

Drug safety is a serious and pressing issue throughout the world. In Kazakhstan, issues of public health, safety, as well as the quality and effectiveness of medicines are given special attention and are considered factors in ensuring national security.

The next meeting took place with the management of Phillips Healthcare, which is a recognized world leader in the medical equipment market, thanks to its quality, high reliability and the latest technologies.

The Kazakh delegation visited the production site and got acquainted with the production process and the line of manufactured equipment. During the dialogue, the parties discussed issues of localizing production in Kazakhstan, ensuring technology transfer and training of medical workers. It is planned to create a working group in the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the issue of localization of Philips production.

Today’s meeting was a practical continuation of the partnership achieved to further develop cooperation within the framework of localizing the production of medical equipment in Kazakhstan.

Let us recall that in October 2022, a memorandum of cooperation was concluded between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Royal Philips in the field of improving the quality of medical care, increasing efficiency, and digital health services.

The parties reached an agreement to improve the quality of oncological and cardiological services, including the exchange of best practices in planning comprehensive care and routing patients based on modern methods of diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment and clinical monitoring of patients. Philips intends to localize the production of medical equipment in Kazakhstan.

Previously, the Head of State instructed to switch to centralized procurement of medical equipment on the basis of a Unified Distributor. Along with this, the Unified Distributor has begun working with global manufacturers of medical equipment to develop centralization mechanisms, including on the terms of production localization.

Speaking about the role of production localization, it should be noted that entering a new stage of integration will be a transition to a new industry model. And the tasks of increasing the level of localization of production play a key role in this regard.

The Unified Distributor is conducting a substantive study of the issues of localizing the production of medical equipment in Kazakhstan using the mechanisms of long-term contracts, off-take contracts, leasing mechanisms and “life cycle” contracts.

Along with this, a visit to the Phillips Healthcare R&D center was organized. The work of the R&D center is focused on research in healthcare, technology development, and innovative developments.

The development of pharmaceutical science and the creation of new production facilities with the participation of global players is one of the main directions of the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry until 2025 adopted by the Government.

Thus, on the initiative of the Unified Distributor, medical and pharmaceutical clusters were created in the cities of Astana, Aktobe and Shymkent. The development of clusters is advisable through the involvement of research institutes, scientific laboratories, large medical universities, production sites, the involvement of institutions for supporting investment projects, as well as the deployment of clusters in free economic and industrial zones like R&D centers.

It is worth noting that economic relations between Kazakhstan and the Netherlands are developing dynamically. The Netherlands is one of the largest investors in the Kazakh economy. Moreover, for many years it has occupied a leading position among Kazakhstani investors.

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed gratitude for organizing a number of events and their readiness for fruitful cooperation in the future. Dutch companies, in turn, are ready to share their experience in implementing advanced digital technologies and cooperate with domestic companies in Kazakhstan.