Pharmaceutical and Microbiological Industry Employees Day in Belarus Date in the current year: October 15, 2024

The development of the modern pharmaceutical and microbiological industry in Belarus began in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the country’s independence. For the first decade after the proclamation of the independence of Belarus, the country’s pharmaceutical and microbiological industry was represented by the Belbiopharm Concern, consisting of 18 enterprises. It was a state-owned concern that coordinated the production and sale of pharmaceutical products.

Following the liquidation of Belbiopharm in 2011, its functions were assigned to the Department of Pharmaceutical Industry in the Ministry of Health of Belarus. Thus, the Ministry of Health became responsible for the implementation of a unified state policy in the pharmaceutical industry.

As of 2022, the production and sale of pharmaceutical products in Belarus was overseen by the Pharmaceutical Inspection Department of the Head Office for Quality Control of Medical Care, Medical Expertise, Appeals of Citizens and Legal Entities of the Ministry of Health.

The Department pursues the state policy on pharmaceutics, oversees the compliance of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs with the current legislation regarding the production and sale of pharmaceutical products, exerts state control over the sale of pharmaceutical products, and issues GMP compliance certificates to pharmaceutical companies.

The Ministry of Health of Belarus also outlines the priorities for the development of the country’s pharmaceutical and microbiological industry. For example, the key economic priorities include expanding the range of pharmaceutical products through import substitution; ensuring their high quality, safety and efficiency in compliance with international standards; increasing exports.

The main tasks of the pharmaceutical industry of Belarus include developing and producing pharmaceutical products using the latest achievements in biotechnology, engineering, immunology and molecular genetics, and ensuring close cooperation between scientific and industrial pharmaceutical organizations.

The main driving force behind the microbiological industry of Belarus is the Institute of Microbiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. It is responsible for the study of the physiological, biochemical and genetic foundations of the use of microorganisms in biotechnological processes, as well as the development of bio technologies for industrial, agricultural, medicinal, and environmental use.

Pharmaceutical and Microbiological Industry Employees Day was established in 1998 to highlight the importance of pharmaceutical and microbiological industry to the country’s economy and healthcare, as well as to the well-being of its residents. Like most professional holidays in Belarus, it is not a non-working day unless it falls during a weekend.