Biopharma pharmaceutical company has sent UAH 6 million to buy equipment for the reference laboratory of the Public Health Center, which will be used to diagnose the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
As the company told Interfax-Ukraine, the equipment will allow quickly determining the presence or absence of the coronavirus disease pathogens in the samples obtained, using modern methods.
The first unit is Thermo Fisher Scitific Nucleic automatic acid extraction workstation with consumables for 20,000 samples. It helps prepare samples for analysis.
The second unit is Bio-Rad CFX 96 PCR detection system, which already directly determines the DNA of the virus, as well as test systems for it.
The equipment was purchased at the initiative of Biopharma co-owners Kostiantyn Yefymenko and Vasyl Khmelnytsky.
The Public Health Center said that the number of samples sent for verification is growing daily, so new equipment will allow quick testing.
The complex, which will be launched on Saturday, allows processing up to 100 samples in 60 minutes that is, up to 2,000 per day.
Earlier, Biopharma transferred the necessary equipment for UAH 5 million for the Bila Tserkva hospital three. In total, Biopharma sent more than UAH 11 million to support measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.
BIOPHARMA, EQUIPMENT, HEALTH CENTER, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY, PUBLIC
Biopharma, which is one of the ten largest Ukrainian manufacturers of the pharmaceutical industry and specializes in human blood plasma drugs, has submitted to the laboratories of the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine equipment that will allow the presence and absence of samples to be determined quickly and by modern methods agents of coronavirus disease. This decision, in conjunction with entrepreneur Vasyl Khmelnytsky’s UFuture holding company, is a continuation of a series of social initiatives undertaken by Ukrainian entrepreneurs amid a coronavirus pandemic.
“The Center will become the main reference site that will monitor the correctness of diagnostics throughout Ukraine. In other words, samples from laboratories will be sent here to confirm or refute the diagnosis. Without the transferred equipment, effective control of coronavirus disease in Ukraine would be defective,” Kostiantyn Yefymenko, President of Biopharma, reported.
The first unit is the Nuclear Acid Extraction Equipment from Thermo Fisher Scitific with consumables for 20,000 samples. The equipment helps prepare samples for analysis. The second unit is the equipment of Bio-Rad CFX 96 for molecular genetic analysis by PCR for the presence of a DNA virus and a system test for the detection of COVID-19.
The total cost of the equipment exceeds six million UAH, its installation and startup is performed by the company “ALT Ukraine LTD”. The equipment allows to process up to 100 samples in 60 minutes and in total about 2 thousand analyzes per day.
“Business should do everything in its power to stop the spread of the coronavirus and bring Ukraine back to normal. First of all, we need quality and timely diagnostics. already hundreds of millions of hryvnias and assistance continues,” Vasyl Khmelnytsky, founder of UFuture, said.
In addition, UFuture purchased two lung ventilation devices and all materials for their operation for the amount of 1 million 700 thousand UAH to one of the hospitals in Kyiv, and Biopharma — equipment for Bila Tserkva city hospital №3 (reference infectious hospital for the Kyiv region) with an amount of five million UAH.
Among them:
• two AR-203 artificial ventilation apparatus;
• AS-200 biochemical automatic analyzer;
• 3-Part DiffH 18 light hematology analyzer;
• EasyStat blood gas and electrolyte analyzer;
• BM1600 patient monitor with BM200 module;
• Laura Smart urine analyzer;
• two microscopes Micromed Fusion FS-7620.
The total cost of assistance from the holding companies is more than 12 million UAH. Also, masks and systems for rapid tests for the hospitals of Bila Tserkva will be purchased soon.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
UFuture is a holding company of Ukrainian entrepreneur Vasyl Khmelnytsky that integrates his business and impact-investment projects. The company has a diversified portfolio of assets in the fields of real estate, infrastructure, industry, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and IT. Currently, UFuture’s assets are estimated at $550 million, and the total capitalization of the businesses it invested in is more than $1 billion.
Biopharma is a Ukrainian immunobiological pharmaceutical company that which specializes in the drugs of human blood plasma. The number of employees – more than 300 people. The company exports drugs to 36 countries. In 2019, the company opened in Bila Tserkva a “built from scratch” manufacturing facility, investing about $75 million. Its the only plant of its kind in Eastern Europe.
State-owned enterprise (SOE) Ukrspyrt has relaxed the rules of buying spirit for the volume of up to 1,000 liters a quarter, and the rules will be in effect from March 20 until June 30.
“Almost everyone needs alcohol! Therefore, given the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic and the increased demand for alcohol, we have simplified the process of its sale. The buyer needs to take three steps: conclude an agreement (simplified, we have one signatory), pay and come to get the products. The rules work, if you do not need more than 1,000 liters per quarter,” acting Director General of Ukrspyrt Serhiy Bleskun wrote on his page on the social network Facebook.
He said that alcohol can be bought by private entrepreneurs or legal entities. The rule is valid until June 30. Price for 1 liter is UAH 184 (inclusive of excise tax and VAT).
The press service of Ukrspyrt told Interfax-Ukraine that the number of signatories under a contract from a state-owned enterprise was reduced from nine to one, and the number of required documents from a buyer was reduced from nine to four.
As reported, Ukrspyrt suspended the shipment of alcohol for export and put four more distilleries into operation due to the increased demand for medical alcohol in Ukraine over the spread of COVID-19.
Indian pharmaceutical companies are ready to provide Ukrainians with antiviral drugs, the Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IPMA) has said.
“The leading Indian pharmaceutical companies represented by IPMA in Ukraine are ready to assist Ukraine in providing it with high-quality and effective medicines, including antiviral drugs, which have recently been used in the fight against the coronavirus disease COVID-19 in the world,” the association said.
IPMA also reported that Indian doctors have noted some success in treating COVID-19 with drugs such as LPV/r, Oseltamivir, Ribavirin and Chloroquine.
“At the same time, it is probably still necessary to observe patients in order to reach a final conclusion,” the IPMA said.
At the same time, the association said that Indian family companies, which are one of the world leaders in the production of drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, will be ready for a possible increase in supplies to Ukraine if the country makes such a decision.
“So far, such negotiations are not conducted, but we are ready for them,” the IPMA said.
At the same time, the association said that Indian pharmaceutical companies have sufficient capacity to meet increasing demand.
“Like any state, in connection with the current situation in the world – the COVID-19 pandemic, India should protect its citizens first of all. But for now, our manufacturers have enough capacities to provide other countries [with drugs] as well,” the IPMA said.
The association said that currently, due to the lack of air traffic, there are some difficulties with the delivery of goods from India, including drugs, while there are no delays in customs and interruptions in logistics.
The range of orders that come from pharmacies and medical institutions as a whole has not changed, but, in addition to ordinary orders, there is a demand for masks and disinfectants.
Ukraine since the beginning of the marketing year 2019/2020 (MY, July-June) and as of March 23, 2020 had exported 44.19 million tonnes of grain and legumes, which is 7.92 million tonnes more than on the same date of the last MY.
According to the information and analytical portal of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine, to date, the country has exported 17.42 million tonnes of wheat, 22.03 million tonnes of corn, and 4.22 million tonnes of barley.
As of March 23 this year, some 267,800 tonnes of flour had been also exported.
As reported, Ukraine in the 2018/2019 MY exported a record 50.4 million tonnes of grain, legumes and flour, which is 23% more than in the previous MY.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in March raised its forecast for grain exports in Ukraine for the 2019/2020 MY by 680,000 tonnes compared with the February forecast, to 57.34 million tonnes due to indicators for corn.
The Textile-Contact Group has started sewing protective gowns, shoe protectors, forearm sleeves and masks at its garment factory in Chernihiv, and soon it is planned to join two more garment factories to the process – in Lubny (Poltava region) and Korosten (Zhytomyr region), the founder of the group Oleksandr Sokolovsky has said.
“We have launched production of protective suits, shoe protectors, forearm sleeves and masks. We started from the TC-Style factory in Chernihiv. They already got the fabric, sewed the first samples and started mass sewing. The other day we’ll join two more sewing factories – TC-Lubny and TC-Korosten. The main thing is to solve all the problems that arise in the current situation due to emergency measures announced,” Sokolovsky wrote on Facebook.
In addition, taking into account possible problems with the delivery of gauze from Uzbekistan, the company launches sewing of reusable protective masks (the price is UAH 9.96 with VAT) from chintz (100% cotton) of its own production, which is produced by a textile factory in Chernihiv, at its several factories.
“We opened it last year and will now increase capacity at full steam. Indeed, without raw materials, the sewing factories will stop, since almost all are focused on China and are already working on the remains of fabrics,” he wrote.
Sokolovsky said that reusable masks from chintz are recommended to be worn for no more than two and a half or three hours, but then it can be washed and ironed.
“So far, we cannot organize retail sales and online delivery. Therefore, the minimum shipment of protective suits is 50 pieces, masks is 1,000 pieces,” he added.
FOREARM SLEEVES, PROTECTIVE GOWNS, SEWING MASKS, SHOE PROTECTORS, TEXTILE CONTACT
