Akrikhin is one of the founders of the Russian pharmaceutical industry. The company was established in 1936, when the first batch of Akrikhin, a drug for treatment of malaria was produced. The company was named after this drug which made it possible to eliminate such a dangerous disease as malaria within a very short time period.
By 1939, Akrikhin became the largest chemical and pharmaceutical enterprise manufacturing the most important medicines for the population of the country: acrichine, sulfanilamide, prontosil, ether for anaesthesia, and sulfidine.
In 1941, the plant launched production of a fuel-air mixture, a famous Molotov cocktail (“KS”) for a record 72 hours! They had no time to study thoroughly the product manufacturing technique - trucks from the Western Front were already standing in the territory of the plant waiting for the fuel-air mixture.
In 1941-1942, 50 to 70 trucks with KS fuel-air mixture were sent to the front every night.
Amidst the shortage of fuel, tough working conditions, and equipment deterioration, as well as in the absence of technical documentation (besides, 760 men went up the line during the first year of war, which made almost a half of all workers at that time, and they were replaced with women and teenagers), the plant provided uninterrupted manufacture of medical and anaesthesia ether, sulfamide drugs, rivanol, acrichine, and individual chemical defense packages.
In the post-war years the plant set a course for recovery and expansion of its capacities. By 1948, the output of pharmaceutical products reached the pre-war level.
In the 1950th, Akrikhin expanded its production capacities at an unprecedented pace, launched production of about 80 articles of new products (both substances and finished pharmaceutical forms), and became the flagship of the Soviet chemical and pharmaceutical industry.
At that time, Akrikhin launched production of the first antibiotic, synthomycin, became the first and only manufacturer of synthetic reproductive hormones and biconvex pills in the country.
Since 1951, Akrikhin started production of substances of antituberculosis drugs, and in 1953 - production of finished products in the form of pills. Up to the present day Akrikhin remains one of the largest manufacturers of medicinal products for tuberculosis in the country.
Its management is consistently putting into action the policy towards increasing the product quality, level of expertise of its employees, and labor mechanization.
By 1963, the national pharmaceutical industry could satisfy the demand for medicines by 77% only, which was considered not enough during those years. Akrikhin set its sights on the large-scale construction and reconstruction of its production facilities. In 1960th, they built six new production buildings, a laboratory, two plant administration buildings, and performed large-scale reconstruction of seven existing buildings. All of those construction works were performed while the plant was operating and reached tough product output targets.
Special attention was paid to the process improvement: the level of manual labor declined from 29 to 15.4%, which increased production efficiency and reduced the net cost of medicines by 40-70%. Production of 45 kinds of new drugs was launched over the seven years’ period of 1959-1965.
On its 30th anniversary, Akrikhin received a high state award, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and was also included in the system of the Ministry of Health of the USSR.
By 1973, construction works started in 1960th were finished, and shops were gaining their production power. The growth rates were convincing: in 1975, 75.5% to the level of 1970; in 1980, 65% to the level of 1975.
Akrikhin contributed 24% to the total output of pharmaceutical substances in the USSR and supplied raw materials to 44 national enterprises. Every year, the product list of the plant included 4 to 15 new medicines, including gamma aminobutyric acid, laevomycetin, antimicrobial drug sulfalene, short steroid hormones etc.
The 1970's became the most active period in terms of exporting Akrikhin substances and medicines. During the Soviet period, the list of product exporting states included 54 countries of the world, i.e. finished medicinal products of the global pharmaceutical companies were manufactured in some cases on the basis of active ingredients produced by the Soviet plant Akrikhin.
Akrikhin confidently reserves its position as the flagship of the Soviet pharmaceutical industry.
In 1980th, the growth rates of production by Akrikhin remained high: in 1985, 36.3% to the level of 1980; in 1990, 33.3% to the level of 1985. The plant headed for the increase of low-tonnage drugs output, work of certain production facilities using imported semi-finished products (dexamethasone, sinaflan, azidine), as well as for the increase in production of finished medicinal products.
Another important step in a new direction of its development was signing of an agreement with KRKA (Slovenia, former Jugoslavia) in 1988 for launching the first cooperation project for production of finished pharmaceutical forms. This project was a milestone one from the point of view of implementing new technologies and quality of finished products, and predetermined further development of the company.
In the beginning of 1990th, the management of the plant decided to switch it from non-profitable chemical synthesis of substances (over 75% of production) to finished medical products.
In 1990, Akrikhin became the first enterprise of the industry in the country who signed an agreement with the large Western pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) for licensed production of cardiovascular drugs (Capoten, Capozid). In furtherance thereof, in 1992, the first industrial production was set up on the production site of Akrikhin in collaboration with BMS and received the GMP certificate of Germany. An almost 30 years’ collaboration of Akrikhin and Bristol-Myers Squibb remains the longest license project in the history of the Russian pharmaceutical industry. This project became a milestone project in terms of implementing new technologies and predetermined the future of Akrikhin as the manufacturer of finished medicinal products.
In October 1992, the plant was reorganized into an open joint-stock company.
In 1994, they started commercial production of ointments.
In 1995, Akrikhin was the first among the enterprises of the industry launched the import replacement program, which included development, registration, and production of medicines not produced in Russia. It included 15 medicines most demanded by the healthcare system.
In 1996, by releasing the first antidiabetic drug, Akrikhin started developing one of the most important production areas - production of medicines for curing diabetes mellitus. Since then, the company released six oral sugar-reducing drugs, all of which were developed by the company on its own. Migration to new economic “rails” was finished with the creation of the Marketing Research Centre in 1996 and start of drug production under the company’s own commercial names.
In 1998, Akrikhin set up its own R&D Centre.
The decade was marked by the development of a chain of regional representative offices and active work on mastering the production of new medicines for curing tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, impairments of the central nervous system. Akrikhin grows its own first brands.
In 2007, Akrikhin entered the TOP 5 of the largest Russian pharmaceutical companies in terms of sales in the Russian pharmaceutical market. More than 100 drugs produced by the company are included in the list of vital and essential drugs (VED).
Akrikhin received the most prestigious industrial award Platinum Ounce as the Company of the Year among the Russian pharmaceutical producers four times during the decade.
Akrikhin successfully demonstrates that over the years of its development the company has been using its long-term experience and traditions in the best possible way and is adapting dynamically to the modern international research and production technologies and corporate governance standards.
In 2011-2017, Akrikhin implemented a large-scale program for upgrading and developing its production complex. As a result of the program, Akrikhin extended and efficiently arranged its production capacities in the shops, brought all its premises in line with the GMP standards, and replaced its equipment with the higher-tech one. The program also enabled process automation and reduction of production time expenditures.
On 1 May 2014, Denis Chetverikov became the President of the company. In 2015, the company started a long-term strategic project, INN-Akrikhin, as a reasonable alternative to the famous Western brands.
In the same year 2015, the company underwent an audit and received an opinion of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia on its conformity to the GMP standards, and then confirmed it successfully in 2018. Akrikhin undergoes regular quality audits by its foreign partners in contract (MSD, Johnsons&Johnsons) and licensed manufacturing (Micro Labs, Wockhardt, Unichem, Lupin and others), as well as by Russian and foreign certification agencies and regulatory bodies.
In 2019, the company finished a RUB 800 million large-scale investment project for the modernization of water supply, water disposal and power supply systems.
Akrikhin Plant ends the year 2019 with a new record, by exceeding the production limit of 100 mln packs from the beginning of the year.
Akrikhin continues its dynamic development resting on the accumulated experience and knowledge, applying new modern business standards and technologies actively.
Today Akrikhin is one of Russian leading pharmaceutical companies that produces effective, affordable and high-quality pharmaceuticals in the most popular therapeutic areas in Russia. The company ranks 4th in the rating of local pharmaceutical manufacturers on the Russian retail market in terms of sales showing significant rates of growth and development. The company’s portfolio includes over 200 medicinal products, with more than 45% classified as vital and essential drugs. The pharmaceuticals fall within the key pharmacotherapeutic groups, such as pulmonology, endocrinology, dermatology, cardiology, neurology, gynaecology, etc., and are produced in total compliance with the GMP standards.
Today Akrikhin includes 1,500 employees over 500 of whom work in 76 regions of the country.
The company plans to involve continuous growth based on further application of its successful diversified portfolio strategy, and a focus on raising efficiency and driving change through innovation.