Swiss Company Roche to Produce Anti-Cancer Drugs in Almaty

On October 24, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., in partnership with Nobel Almaty Pharmaceutical Factory JSC, launched the production of innovative drugs in Almaty. The project followed an agreement between Roche, Kazakhstan’s SK-Pharmacy LLP, Nobel, and the Kazakh Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology, with the support of National Company Kazakh Invest. Under the agreement, Roche committed to establishing local production of three biotechnological drugs for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that affects up to 20% of breast cancer patients in Kazakhstan. At the opening ceremony, Kazakhstan's Minister of Health, Akmaral Alnazarova, said: "The localization [of production] of oncological drugs by a global leader like Roche is a huge step forward for our country. This project will provide patients access to advanced treatments and significantly contribute to developing Kazakhstan's healthcare infrastructure.” The transfer of Roche's advanced technologies and production capabilities to local partners will reduce healthcare system costs in Kazakhstan and significantly expand patient access to essential medicines. Around 5,000 new cases of breast cancer are registered in the country annually, with approximately 1,200 resulting in death. This project is expected to increase the number of patients receiving therapy to 1,335 by 2026. The project is part of Kazakhstan’s plan to increase the share of domestically produced medicines and medical devices to 50%.