Kazakhstan. Pharmaceutical market overview 2009

Kazakhstan has several pharmaceutical plants including Santo in Shymkent, Karaganda Pharmaceutical Plant, Almaty Pharmaceutical Plant nd etc. However the local production does not cover the state demand for pharmaceutical products. Thus in January – October of 2009 87.4% of drugs were imported while the local production was 12.6% only. Import of pharmaceutical products for the same period was 89.6%, while the local production 10.4% out of 100. In January – December of 2009 Germany was the main import source of the given products with a share in Kazakhstani import of pharmaceuticals 17.1%. Next came France with 10.1% out of 100, Russian Federation with 8.4%, Austria 7.4% and India 5.6%. Total Kazakhstani import of pharmaceutical products for January – December of 2009 was 759 625.4 mln USD.

For the development of pharmaceutical industry and in order to increase of competitiveness and sustainability of local producers Kazakhstan created SK-Pharma. One of the prerogatives of SK-Pharma is to organize state purchases of pharmaceutical products and some services in the framework of guarantee capacity of free medicare through public tenders. The tenders are opened for participation for local well as foreign producers/suppliers, however the local produces have a preferably.

Source: Norwegian Embassy in Astana