Technopolis Moscow SEZ resident will begin production of a drug for the treatment of severe forms of cancer.

The Sputnik Technopolis plant of the R-Pharm Group, one of the residents of the Technopolis Moscow Special Economic Zone (SEZ), plans to start production of biologics for the treatment of severe forms of oncological diseases affecting the head, neck and intestines by the end of May 2026. This was announced by Maxim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry.

"On behalf of Sergei Sobyanin, the city promotes the development of the pharmaceutical industry. The created support tools allow enterprises to master new technologies and increase their capacity to supply the most demanded items on the market. In 2025, 10.7 percent more packages of antitumor drugs and immunomodulators were produced in the capital than a year earlier. The development of the direction continues. So, until the end of spring, the SEZ resident “Technopolis Moscow will launch a full production cycle of biologics for the treatment of severe forms of malignant neoplasms, including the creation of its own substance," Maxim Liksutov said.

The targeted drug is intended for use in locally advanced metastatic head and neck cancer, as well as metastatic colorectal cancer. It belongs to the class of monoclonal antibodies. Biomolecules find the protein responsible for their growth on the surface of tumor cells and block it, stopping the progression of the tumor.

The drug became the country's first cetuximab biosimilar. Earlier this year, it received a registration certificate from the Russian Ministry of Health. The results of clinical trials confirm that it is no less effective than the original drug, as well as a comparable level of safety.

"The drug is intended for the treatment of aggressive, complex tumors of the colon, head and neck — the need of the healthcare system for modern therapy for patients with such diseases is especially high. The production technology was developed here, in the scientific research center of the plant. Due to the availability of the pilot site, we were able to quickly transfer the product to the factory facilities and are ready to provide patients in full," said Stanislav Chugreev, General Director of the plant.

The company is located at the Pechatniki site of the Technopolis Moscow SEZ. It produces drugs for the treatment of oncological and autoimmune diseases such as melanoma, colorectal cancer, lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis. The facilities allow for the production of over 10 tons of biologically active pharmaceutical substances per year, the main component of medicines.