Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance advises Pfizer on localization agreement with Pharmstandard to produce innovative cancer medicines in Russia

A team from Clifford Chance has advised Pfizer on a localization agreement with Pharmstandard, one of Russia's leading pharmaceutical companies, to produce cancer medicines.

Four innovative oncology drugs are to be made under the agreement on contract manufacturing in the Russian Federation (at the Pharmstandard-UfaVITA plant in Bashkortostan). The first commercial batches are expected to be released in 2024.

The partners will now begin the phased process of technology transfer, involving the procurement of equipment, overhaul of production lines, and transfer of know-how and test methods, eventually culminating in the launch of commercial production.

The Pfizer drugs that will be produced at the Pharmstandard facility are in high demand on the Russian market, given the widespread incidence of oncological diseases in the country and the prioritization of treatment.

Clifford Chance has been a longstanding legal advisor to Pfizer, helping the market-leading pharmaceutical company realize its most ambitious and complex projects across the globe.

The Clifford Chance Moscow team advising on the deal consisted of corporate partner Torsten Syrbe, senior associates Ekaterina Sharapova, Ilya Stekunov and Maria Chivragova, and trainee lawyers Julia Shcherban and Elizaveta Timerbulatova.