Oleg Zherebtsov, founder of Solopharm and Chairman of the Board of Directors, gave an extensive interview to RBC St. Petersburg, where he discussed the company’s 15-year journey, a new investment cycle, and the strategic development of its biotechnology business.
In 2011, Solopharm began with the construction of its first manufacturing facility — a plant for liquid dosage forms. Today, as the company celebrates its 15th anniversary, it is entering a new stage of development: Solopharm is returning to an active investment cycle and expanding its presence in the biotechnology segment.
In his interview with RBC St. Petersburg, Oleg Zherebtsov spoke about how the Russian pharmaceutical industry has evolved over the past 15 years, the capabilities the company has systematically built during this period, and why its accumulated technological expertise now allows Solopharm to move into more complex areas.
«Technological innovation is a journey that takes decades. Our company has now been operating for 15 years, and only today are we entering the market we originally envisioned and talked about — biopharmaceuticals,» Oleg Zherebtsov noted.
A New Investment Cycle
According to Solopharm’s founder, the company is returning to an active investment cycle after several years of slower capital expenditure. Over the next five years, total planned investment is expected to reach approximately RUB 17 billion. Of this amount, RUB 12.5 billion is planned to be invested directly in biopharmaceutical products, while approximately RUB 6 billion will be allocated to equipment and other capital expenditures.
The company is currently designing two new manufacturing facilities, while another production site is being developed within its existing manufacturing infrastructure.
Biotechnology as the Next Stage of Development
Biotechnology is becoming one of Solopharm’s key strategic development areas. The company currently has 15 monoclonal antibody molecules at various stages of development and preparation, most of which, according to Oleg Zherebtsov, have not previously been manufactured in Russia. Solopharm plans to launch its first product in this area next year.
«We have prepared thoroughly. We have a full range of engineering and technical solutions, cell lines, producer strains, specialists working across our two in-house R&D centers, and a manufacturing facility equipped with modern production lines,» Solopharm’s founder said.
At the same time, the development of the biotechnology business represents a continuation of the technological strategy that the company has consistently pursued since its foundation. Solopharm’s first plant was built from the ground up as a high-tech facility for the production of sterile liquid dosage forms. Today, this engineering and manufacturing foundation remains central to the company’s approach to development: mastering increasingly sophisticated technologies, investing in in-house expertise, and creating new manufacturing capabilities.
Over the past 15 years, Solopharm has evolved from a single manufacturing facility into a company with multiple production sites, its own R&D capabilities, and a broad portfolio of pharmaceutical products.
Today, this journey continues on a new scale — with a focus on biotechnology, proprietary development, and new technological capabilities.
Read the full interview with Oleg Zherebtsov on RBC St. Petersburg:
