On November 9, 2020 in Moscow, GEM, supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, has opened Russia’s first plant producing uniform line of virus and microbiology handling systems used for coronavirus tests. The production capacity is 1.5 mln handling systems a month. They will be sterilized by ROSATOM’s Sterion, the operator of a special sanitary treatment center, which is managed by JSC Rusatom Healthcare (ROSATOM’s integrator for radiation technologies in medicine and industry). In the framework of the opening ceremony, JSC Rusatom Healthcare and GEM signed the contract on the sterilization of produced microbiology handling systems.
The new plant opening ceremony was visited by first persons of the Department for Development of Pharmaceutical and Medical Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia , the Department of the Provision of Medicines and the Regulation of the Circulation of Medical Devices of the Ministry of Public Health of Russia, Federal Service for Supervision in Healthcare, Department for Healthcare of Moscow, Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of Moscow and Technopark “Strogino”.
Deputy General Director of JSC Rusatom Healthcare Artur Kolontaev noted: “We are glad that the cooperation between our companies that started in the beginning of this year reaches new frontiers. Today’s contract will significantly enlarge volumes of sterilized handling systems which are needed so at the moment.”
JSC Rusatom Healthcare and GEM intend to develop the strategic cooperation in this area in future. By 2021, they plan to get registration certificates and launch production of handling systems with microbiology media and in 2022 – handling systems for pharmaceutical and food industries. Production volumes will be several million units a month that fully meet the demand for these products in the Russian Federation and some CIS countries.
Information about handling systems:
A handling system is a vial with transportation medium for viruses and two swabs: nasal and universal. The composition of the transportation medium has been developed by GEM microbiologists. The product offered by the producer is the full-fledged solution for taking samples for further diagnosis of coronavirus infection in strict accordance with provisions of Russian and international regulatory and guiding documents and sanitary standards.
Information about project participants:
JSC Rusatom Healthcare is the medical integrator of ROSATOM. The company operates in the area of development and production of equipment and radionuclide products for nuclear medicine, building and management of nuclear medicine centers, as well as production of general industry equipment and solutions on sterilization and treatment of different products by ionizing radiation using electron- and gamma-ray installations.
GEM Ltd. is one of the leaders in production (since 1988) and distribution (since 1992) of consumables and equipment for microbiological and industrial laboratories.
Information about JSC Sterion’s operations during coronavirus pandemic:
Under the contract of JSC Sterion and GEM for sterilization of handling systems with coronavirus media more than 1.5 mln systems have been sterilized since April 2020. The new contract will many-fold increase these volumes because the production capacity of the new plant will be 1.5 mln units in a month. This will allow meeting the demand for this product.
JSC Sterion is the operator of the special sanitary treatment center, which has been created by ROSATOM jointly with a private investor in February 2016. The company is managed by JSC Rusatom Healthcare (ROSATOM’s integrator for radiation technologies in medicine and industry). JSC Sterion renders medical sterilization services. The center uses equipment produced by companies which are part of ROSATOM. Linear accelerator UEL 10-10 with energy of 10 MeV and power capacity of 10 kW is used as the main process equipment. Sterilization is carried out by a beam of accelerated electrons on the treated product put on the special conveyor. This technology allows to keep the product packed in cardboard tare by producers. Besides, after treatment of products by the beam of accelerated electrons, the products become suitable for use. Clean-up or additional activities (unlike other sterilization techniques) are not required before actual use. One product package can be treated over 37 seconds. The center also sterilizes masks, wound closure materials, gossypium, one-use clothes and other products.
