Binnopharm: hunting for rare birds
Maxim Uvarov: "We are fighting for promising scientists as for rare birds"Interviewed by Evgenia Dorogova, "Living Systems"
Maxim Gennadievich Uvarov (b. 05/12/1977) – General Director of Binnopharm CJSC, member of the Board of Directors of Binnopharm CJSC, MEDSI Group of Companies CJSC, MEDSI CJSC, MEDSI-II OJSC and Medexpress Company CJSC.
He graduated from the International University in Moscow (IUM), received three diplomas with honors: Bachelor of Finance, Master of Economics and Master of Business Administration. He trained under the EU Economics program at the University of Leon in Spain, graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University under the PR program, has a PhD in Economics. In 1999-2006 – President of the pharmaceutical company he created in the USA Atlantic Essential Products, Inc., in 2002-2005 – CEO of Nutrifarm LLC, in 2005 – CEO of Synthetic Crystals Holding Company CJSC. In 2006-2008 – Executive Director of the Strategy and Development Complex of AFK Sistema. He has been the CEO of Binnopharm since 2008. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.
Binnopharm CJSC is a vertically integrated pharmaceutical and biotechnological holding established in 2006 by Sistema Financial Corporation for asset management in the areas of pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies. Binnopharm operates in three main areas: full-cycle pharmaceutical production according to GMP standards, distribution of medicines and scientific activities.
What is the main strategy of Binnopharm?In the long term, the company focuses on new innovative drugs, and in the current mode, we load the plant's capacities with import-substituting generics.
It is no secret that to create innovative drugs, large resources are needed – material, technological and human. As for the solution of the personnel issue, this process is the most difficult, and here we are actively searching: we are recruiting talented Russian specialists, including inviting them from abroad. For example, we recently "returned" seven experts from abroad.
What specialists are in short supply for you?Now the company needs scientists who have interesting developments at the implementation stage.
At the moment, Binnopharm employs more than 400 people, including 70 researchers, and it is planned to increase the staff to 600 people.
What is the motivation of scientists to work for you?To invite a high-class specialist, you need to offer him decent payment terms.
We try to be at a competitive level. The pharmaceutical complex is located in Zelenograd, which has always had a reputation as a science city rich in minds and technologies. We will not say that we can compete with the West in terms of material compensation for labor. At this stage, we are trying to be no worse. The salary of a scientist at Binnopharm reaches several thousand dollars a month, and one of the material "bonuses" is that a group of researchers who have introduced a new drug receives five percent of the proceeds from its sales. With the hepatitis B vaccine, this kind of successful experience has already been implemented. Working conditions are also important. Accepting a new employee, we solve the issue of providing him with housing, allocate a social package. In addition to renting apartments, we would like to achieve the allocation of a separate house for employees. We hope that in 2-3 years the housing issue will be resolved completely. The third important point is the idea that scientists are working for. In the 90s, pharm. the direction in Russia faded, and many specialists were forced to leave the country in order to be realized abroad. Now we are bringing them back so that they can implement their developments here at home.
What kind of scientists do you need? Do Russian specialists meet your requirements? After all, fundamental education in Russia is not focused on pharma.Right!
Recruitment is only half the battle. Since pharmaceuticals and biotechnology are highly specialized industries, specialists, regardless of their qualifications, need to be trained. And that's why we are developing several educational programs. We have a good personnel development program together with the Lomonosov Moscow State University Biofactory and a joint program with the Zelenograd Prefecture to attract personnel. In addition, we plan to allocate grants for MSU students in order to instill in young people the desire to apply knowledge in practical biotechnologies from the student's bench. Future experts can be trained remotely. For example, we create software, a simulator for working with equipment in biotechnology, and connect it via the Internet. An attempt to launch this technological novelty will be made this year.
This requires large financial costs. Your main financing is provided by Sistema, will you attract other investors?Of course, we try to look for partners.
When it comes to new developments, there can't be too many funds. We are currently working on several projects. One of them, the most famous is a joint project with Rusnano, which is under approval. As part of it, we are developing seven import-substituting drugs against socially significant diseases and three innovative drugs: one against infections and two against oncology. Unfortunately, I can't tell you more about the latter yet – this is closed information, and we have an installation not to promise, but to demonstrate what has been achieved. Binnopharm has partners in the face of domestic research institutes and Western companies to work with each drug.
How can a researcher or a research group find a partner in the person of Binnopharm?Promising scientists are like rare birds from the "Red Book": you have to fight for every valuable specimen.
We do not have strict criteria for evaluating specialists – the main thing is that they benefit from working with us. We are ready to communicate with every scientist working on pharm.profile. Binnopharm has a complex of scientific research and development, which cooperates with institutes, its head is Yuri Sukhanov.
It is known that Binnopharm has plans to create a biopharmaceutical cluster. Which institutions will be included in it?The biotechnological cluster "Biositi", which may appear on the territory of the special economic zone "Zelenograd" by 2012, will include the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University, several research institutes, certain companies from BigPharma, and possibly several domestic companies will move to Zelenograd.
We are discussing the issue of providing them with a production site, housing and infrastructure. After all, a cluster is very convenient! This is a common practice in the West, and we definitely need to move on to it. It's one thing when a small pharmaceutical company tries to invent something new. And it's another thing when a whole team of people thinking in the same direction is formed, with a division of labor and responsibilities. As part of the cluster, we plan to establish the production of drugs of four therapeutic groups – oncology, hematology, infectious and respiratory diseases.
It's wonderful that a young company has such grandiose plans. How did you survive the beginning of the crisis?The crisis has helped us a lot.
In 2006, the Binnopharm company was established to consolidate the pharmaceutical assets of AFK Sistema, construction of the plant began in 2007, and we opened it on October 9, 2009 during Vladimir Putin's visit to Zelenograd. I must say that we managed to finish the construction so quickly only thanks to the crisis. To build a factory in two years is a lot! During the crisis, many enterprises closed, there were problems in the job market, and we got the best personnel in the construction field and installation of equipment, which helped to save time two or three times. The crisis is not bothering us now.
Where will the preclinical and clinical trials of innovative drugs take place – in Russia or abroad?It is faster to do the pre–clinic abroad, and regarding clinical tests today we have no plans to go to the West - it is cheaper in Russia.
Is the shortage of knockout experimental animals characteristic of our country worrying?Yes, there is such a problem.
There are not enough genetically modified mice, and they are expensive to import. A legislative framework is needed that would facilitate the import of goods for scientific research and reduce taxes. Fortunately, a special economic zone (SEZ) of a technical and innovative type has been created on the territory of the Zelenograd Administrative District of Moscow, which until 2025 implies almost complete absence of taxes for research in the field of drug development. This is extremely important. The creation of the TVT SEZ on the territory of the city of Moscow is carried out on two sites: the territory of the innovation complex of the Moscow State Institute of Electronic Technology (MIET) and the territory of the industrial zone "Alabushevo". The area at the Alabushevo site with an area of several square kilometers was fenced off with a fence, communications were brought in. We are going to create a proteomics research and production complex there, we will focus on the development of new drugs against infections and oncology, and we will also continue the production of vaccines. In addition to Binnopharm, other companies also use the platform. Zelenograd owes such luck as a special economic zone to the state. We are glad to participate in this, because innovation is the way to the flagship and leadership of our country on a global scale.
Share your dreams and plans: when will innovative medicines produced by Binnopharm appear on pharmacy shelves?The fate of innovation is often unpredictable.
Everything can work out successfully next year, or maybe in ten years. Success will be achieved when statistics clearly show that Russia has reached the world level in the production of innovative drugs. Of course, we are trying to be the best of everyone, every employee of Binnopharm has his own work plan, but we adhere to the policy of working without a cap, and I will not undertake to make forecasts publicly.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru12.04.2010