AstraZeneca announced today that it plans to establish a
Predictive Science Centre in St.
Petersburg over the coming year. The move strengthens
AstraZeneca’s investments in Russia
and supports the Russian Government’s strategy to modernize and develop the
country’s pharmaceutical sector.
The new AstraZeneca Predictive Science Centre, the company’s
first in Russia,
will leverage local scientific talent and focus on developing bioinformatics,
data analysis methods, software and systems to better predict the safety and
efficacy of potential new medicines. Approximately 30 people will work at the
Centre through collaborations with local companies and organizations as part of
a related agreement with the St. Petersburg
government to be announced later this week.
Earlier this year, the company began construction of a new
$150 million manufacturing facility in the Kaluga
region to supply Russia
with innovative AstraZeneca medicines that are locally manufactured. In addition,
AstraZeneca has established several partnerships with Russian development
institutes, including the Skolkovo Innovation Centre and Russia Venture
Company, to share its global R&D expertise through research collaborations,
grant programs, and clinical trials.
The new R&D and manufacturing investments, combined with
the growing operational sales and marketing capabilities and an increased
clinical research focus in Russia,
reinforce AstraZeneca’s long term commitment to the country and constitute a significant
contribution to the Russian economy of $1.2 billion over the next five years.
Speaking today at the St. Petersburg International Economic
Forum in Russia, David
Brennan, Chief Executive of AstraZeneca, said: “Russia is a dynamic economy where our
growing investments will help us to offer to patients AstraZeneca’s portfolio
of innovative medicines. We are pleased to contribute to the development of an
innovative healthcare sector through our local research and manufacturing
capabilities, established operations, and scientific and educational
collaborations.”
