New Moscow site makes markers to identify cancer, HIV and then some

Developers in Moscow have launched the production of medical markers to identify a range of serious diseases. They expect that a few years from now the new product may be delivered to every Russian clinic, the website of Vesti TV  reported . 

This site is unique for Russia—although it was a Russian scientist, Garry Abelev, that discovered the molecular marker of tumors back in the 1960s. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union this country manufactured large numbers of antibody-based diagnostic tests. In the 1990s, imports began to prevail and then basically supplanted domestic analogs. 

“We can meet 100% of this market’s demand with the products we already have. These are currently over 120 items, and counting. I hope that within five years Russia’s healthcare system will be fully supplied,” said Alexey Grachov, the CEO of PrimeBioMed, the company behind the project. 

The new factory will be making reagents not only for oncology but also for diseases like HIV and viral hepatitis. On top of that, the new site will focus on R&D to develop new antibodies for a range of other pathologies. 

Products that the PrimeBioMed site is making save a customer between 20 and 30 percent of the costs he incurs when using international analogs, the source reported. The vast Russian market is but an interim goal for the developers; plans are to start exporting to the former Soviet Union countries and eventually to Europe.

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