News / 07 MARCH 2011

In April 2011, AlenMed expanded the framework of partnership with a long-standing and reliable partner: Swiss-German pharmaceutical giant, Merck Serono. From this time on, Merck Serono in Belarus will be represented in one more important therapeutic niche – treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. This fact is particularly noteworthy due to high socio-economic importance of these oncological pathologies. For instance, colorectal cancer ranks 3^rd in morbidity in the oncological morbidity, and together with that, mean age of such patients is fairly young, 55-65 years, i.e. professional employable population.

AlenMed is well aware of high honour and responsibility for the vested duty to develop the challenging Belarusian oncological market. In Belarus we have exclusive rights to market and sell an innovative drug, Erbitux (INN – cetuximab). It was developed by Merck Serono in cooperation with Bristol-Myers Squibb and ImClone Systems Inc. (an affiliate of Eli Lilly), received approval of notified bodies and is successfully used in 87 countries as colorectal cancer treatment and in 84 – to treat head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

AlenMed’s professional team has already taken active steps to promote the pharmaceutical. Within the framework of cooperation and experience sharing with both local and foreign experts, we have conducted several meetings with colleagues from other countries, including: Business Consultant, Emerging Markets Mr Mauro Ludovici (Merck Serono, Switzerland), CIS Coordinator Mr Alexander Somov (Merck Russia), Head of Oncology Business Unit Mr Roman Zelenski (Merck Russia), Deputy Director, Clinical and Experimental Work/Chief of Tumour Growth Biology Dept. under Research Institute for Oncology (St. Petersburg) Mr Evgeny Imyanitov.

We consider this market highly important and prospective for our company. Merck Serono is among worldwide leaders in the oncology segment, and AlenMed, in its turn, will strive to ensure that this company’s products take up their deserved leading positions in Belarus as well. We have no doubt that our activities will enable national oncology experts and patients stay up-to-date with cutting-edge pharmaceuticals to treat oncological pathologies.