Generic drug producer JV Novopharma Plus has become Uzbekistan’s first-ever healthcare company to be awarded international Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, Pharmexpert reports.

Novopharma Plus has an annual output of over 10 million finished drugs, focusing mainly on antibiotics and other ampoule drugs.Significance: Uzbekistan is not well-known for its pharmaceutical output among Western markets, but the first of its drug-makers to clinch the much-coveted GMP status should go some way towards encouraging export deals to markets beyond its traditional remit of former Soviet countries.

Joint ventures with foreign drug companies have gone some way towards improving the production standards of Uzbek drug-makers, and the country is looking to emulate the success of its northern neighbour Kazakhstan in securing greater investment levels and fostering more growth.