"The main condition for the admission of medical products to the Russian market should be quality, safety and demand for doctors and patients"

A year ago, SIBUR, the leader of the Russian petrochemical industry, was allocated the Medicine division, created in response to the growing needs of the healthcare system for modern and affordable materials. This initiative is directly related to the goals of the national project "New Technologies for Saving Health," which aims to reach 40% of the total market share of Russian-made medical devices by 2030. Izvestia spoke with division Director Anton Prosumentov about the situation in the medical industry.

— Tell us what SIBUR is doing for the Russian medical industry.

— We have long been actively involved in the import substitution program for nonwovens used for the production of medical underwear and personal protective equipment. Our product portfolio includes polypropylene grades for the production of standard nonwovens using spunbond technology, as well as for nonwovens using the blow molding method. The latter is used in filters to protect against the spread of bacteria in masks. Work is underway on a brand of polypropylene for mono- and bicomponent fibers, which provides increased softness.

Our team is also working on proposals to improve the regulatory framework in order to provide medical institutions with everything they need. It's no secret that when you come to a hospital outside the Moscow Ring Road for an initial checkup, you may see an old yellow oilcloth on the couch, not a disposable sheet. In the same surgery outside the capital, it is not uncommon to use repeatedly washed laundry. But by saving on disposable underwear and using reusable ones, we increase the percentage of nosocomial infection in the hospital. As a result, the number of bed days for patients is increasing, and spending on drug therapy is increasing... And all because of the savings on supplies.

— Why do low-quality medical products continue to enter our market?

— During the pandemic, many prohibitive regulations were lifted in Russia, as it was urgently necessary to provide doctors with the necessary. For this reason, some of the SanPiNs and GOST standards were canceled. In addition, it should be remembered that the medical device market was formed in the 90s on the principle of "bring at least something."

But today we are looking at the quality, safety, and sterility of materials used in the medical industry. On the one hand, it is necessary to put up a strict barrier to the import of low—quality and dangerous products for patients, on the other - to provide orders to Russian enterprises. To do this, it is necessary to make GOST standards more stringent and mandatory. By the way, only two domestic manufacturers of syringes are allowed to enter the US market, all the others are excluded.

— What is your division working on now?

— We have developed a special brand of transparent polypropylene, which allows the healthcare professional to see what is in the syringe. An opaque syringe means that the nurse may not see the suspension or turbidity of the flakes in the solution before the injection. The new brand has been homologated by the largest Russian manufacturer, has been approved by the largest manufacturers of the EAEU member states, and has also received confirmation of compliance with the requirements of the European and American Pharmacopoeias.

In addition, we are working on radiation-resistant polycarbonate for dialyzers. Previously, this product was not produced in Russia, and we were completely dependent on the import of finished products from Germany or China. We are currently in the final stage of finalizing the material with the Russian Pharmasynthesis and the Belarusian Frebor. Customers in Russia and the CIS are starting to test this brand. It also aroused the interest of potential foreign buyers.

An important stage was the creation of a special medical brand of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for vacuum and capillary tubes for blood collection. Almost the entire tube market was exclusively Chinese. In just a year, we have managed to almost tenfold change the ratio of the shares of Russian and Chinese manufacturers' products at budget auctions and tenders. Now 90% of the products at the auction are represented by Russian companies, and 10 by Chinese companies. A year ago, it was the other way around.

Another important area is the development of a special polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compound in order for our country to finally have infusion systems made from its own materials.

— What steps could increase the overall share of Russian medical products?

— First, to include ready—made Russian medical products as much as possible in government Decree No. 1875, which provides for the "second extra" rule, which gives preferences to domestic players in procurement. The second is to introduce tax breaks for them. This will be a very good incentive for Russian manufacturers.

At one time, the programs "7 nosologies", Pharma-2020, and the list of VED were created in Russia. What prevents the creation of something similar in the medical products industry in order to guarantee manufacturers and end users a high-quality volume? Moreover, the program must take into account the interests of patients, medical specialists, and domestic manufacturers.

— But isn't it possible that such protectionism will negatively affect the desire of domestic companies to compete with the world's best medical products?

— In order to break into the market, which was formed in the 90s by distribution companies, Russian manufacturers had to act independently. Honor and praise to them for this. I hope we will grow to the point where distributors will say, "but it's already unprofitable for us to import from China," and they will start looking for partners in Russia.

At the same time, there should certainly be healthy competition within the framework of strict standards and GOST standards. If your product is of the right quality and is the best model for patients and doctors, you definitely have a place on the market. But those players who import products of unknown origin into the country need to be taken out of bounds as much as possible. Competition should not be based on the principle of "as long as it is cheaper." The main condition for admission to the Russian market must be quality, safety and the need for doctors and patients.