Janssen-Cilag Russia organizes meeting on cooperation with Russian authorities
Moscow, June 29, 2006 - On Wednesday evening, in the presence of HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium and Mrs Fientje Moerman, Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Enterprise, Science, Innovation and Foreign Trade, Janssen-Cilag Russia organized a meeting with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Health and the principals and senior executives of leading academic and medical centers.
Belgian pharmaceutical industry ranks among the world’s leaders
In her opening speech, Minister Fientje Moerman emphasized that the Belgian pharmaceutical industry occupies a leading position globally.
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In absolute figures Belgium is ranked 7th in the world in respect of R&D investments for new medicinal products, with a total of more than 1.5 billion euros in 2005. |
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Belgium is ranked third in the world in terms of the number of new medicinal products in development, expressed in relation to the population. |
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Each year, more than 2 billion patient treatments are shipped from Belgium and distributed all over the world. |
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In a recent report published by the OECD on the biopharmaceutical industry, the conclusion was as follows: ‘Based on four indicators for innovation and industrial development (…) Belgium is by far the best performing country’. |
Mr Dimitri Eihardt, speaking on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Health, gave an overview of the healthcare reform in Russia, which is based on three cornerstones:
- repayment of medicinal products;
- development of the local pharmaceutical industry;
- health education and preventive care.
The Russian authorities are intent on drastically improving the quality of life and extending the life expectancy of the Russian population. In line with this intention, the health budget for next year is to be increased by 70%.
He also emphasized that the Belgian pharmaceutical industry has a very good reputation in Russia, thanks to both the quality of the medicinal products themselves and the scientific expertise of the companies. This makes the Belgian pharmaceutical companies very respected discussion partners for the Russian authorities.
Medicinal products are important for the economy
Jaak Peeters, Chairman of Janssen-Cilag Europe, the Middle East and Africa, gave an overview of the importance of new and innovative medicinal products for the economy of a country. He said that expenditure on medicinal products is all too often perceived as a cost, whereas in fact the health of the population and its economic value is the yardstick that should be used in this regard. Examples include the innovative treatments for schizophrenia, which have led to a dramatic decrease in the past decades in the number of patients who are permanently institutionalized in psychiatric facilities, resulting in major savings for the authorities. New medicinal products are estimated to reduce the number of inpatient hospitalization days by a further 45%. Furthermore, the new treatments for patients infected with HIV produce high economic added value. Twenty years ago, a patient diagnosed with HIV had a life expectancy of only one year, whereas today it is 20 to 30 years. The economic value of medicinal products should therefore be calculated on the basis of the added value for society, rather than as a cost item in the health budget.
Willy Deno, Area General Manager Janssen-Cilag Russia and CIS, gave some examples of how the company cooperates with the Russian authorities. In cooperation with INSEAD and the London School of Economics, the company has set up programs which make it possible for experts from the various European health authorities to learn from one another’s experiences and to get courses from professors of the institutions concerned. The company also collaborates in various areas of clinical research with more than 200 clinical centers in Russia, spread over 50 or so cities and towns.
Great interest: more than 50 participants at the meeting
The meeting was attended by 17 representatives of the Russian authorities and by representatives of the Belgian economic mission. Representatives of UCB Russia, Solvay Pharma Russia and AstraZeneca Russia were also present.
Opening of new office building in Moscow
On the same day, Wednesday, June 29, Janssen-Cilag and the other Johnson & Johnson affiliates also opened a new office building in Moscow. Janssen-Cilag and Johnson & Johnson were among the first international concerns to establish a presence in Russia. That was at the beginning of the 1990s. The group now has more than 1,000 employees in Russia; last year the group realized a turnover of 228 million US dollars.
For more information
Stefan Gijssels - Janssen Pharmaceutica - +32/473.710.425.
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