India-Russia Pharma Ties Gain Focus After Krasnodar Visit
Krasnodar Delegation Visits Cadila Pharmaceuticals as India-Russia Pharma Ties Come Under Focus
A delegation from Russia’s Krasnodar Region visited Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ manufacturing facility in Dholka, Ahmedabad, on Tuesday as officials and company representatives discussed possible cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, technology, investment and trade.
The delegation was led by Alexander Ruppel, Deputy Governor of Krasnodar Region. It also included Yulia Prikhodko, Minister of Investment; Kamila Kuptsova, Acting Director of the Investment Promotion Agency; Vadim Kolesnik, Assistant to the Deputy Governor; and Vladimir Neverov, a specialist with the region’s investment promotion agency. The visit was held ahead of the international industrial exhibition INNOPROM.India.
The meeting comes as both India and Russia are looking for wider economic cooperation in areas such as healthcare and manufacturing. Pharmaceutical trade has been part of the relationship for years. India’s Department of Commerce recorded exports to Russia of about $4.26 billion in 2024-25, while imports from Russia were much larger, at about $61.72 billion. The figures cover all goods, rather than medicines alone.
For the pharmaceutical industry, the two countries have already discussed local production and investment. A bilateral India-Russia protocol has called for cooperation in healthcare and considered Indian investment in chemical synthesis and pharmaceutical production in Russia. It also referred to Russian companies’ investment in India’s pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.
Against that background, the discussions at Cadila Pharmaceuticals focused on areas that could affect how medicines and pharmaceutical materials move between the two markets. These included technical cooperation, exports, market access and the supply of medicines.
Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, Assistant Vice President and Head of Representation for Russia at Cadila Pharmaceuticals, said the company viewed the visit as an opportunity to expand cooperation between the two countries.
“We are honored to host the Russian delegation and explore deeper strategic alignment between India and Russia. This visit opens vital pathways to broaden international export footprint and address evolving global healthcare demands for both countries. We look forward to driving long-term value for patients worldwide with affordable healthcare solutions.”
The talks also covered the need for dependable medicine supply chains. For pharmaceutical companies, supply reliability depends on manufacturing capacity, access to active pharmaceutical ingredients, regulatory approvals, transport, and payment systems. Any expansion in trade therefore requires more than an agreement between companies.
Russia’s pharmaceutical market is also changing. A 2026 analysis by Sberbank’s India branch said Russia was seeing stronger demand for biotechnology products, biosimilars and locally produced medicines. It reported more than 158,000 orders in Russia’s government pharmaceutical procurement market in the first quarter of 2025, with contracts worth 241.1 billion roubles.
Indian drug makers already have a place in the Russian market. Sberbank’s 2026 analysis put India’s pharmaceutical exports to Russia at $413.48 million in 2024. It said Indian manufacturers supplied medicines worth $96.3 million during the first eight months of 2025, a 7% rise from the same period a year earlier.
The discussions at Dholka also touched on areas that could move cooperation beyond the sale of finished medicines. Alexander Ruppel said Russia and India could examine local production and joint ventures involving biosimilars, vaccines and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
“This visit marks a key milestone in reinforcing the bilateral relationship between Russia and India. India’s pharmaceutical expertise is globally recognised, and we see strong potential to explore each other’s markets. By focusing on localised production and exploring joint ventures in biosimilars, vaccines, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), both nations can unlock immense market potential and foster sustainable healthcare innovation.”
The interest is also linked to developments within Krasnodar itself. Pharmaceutical production in the Russian region has been growing, although the sector remains smaller than some other industrial segments. According to the Krasnodar regional investment portal, pharmaceutical manufacturers in the region shipped products worth more than 5 billion roubles in the first seven months of 2026. That was 19.1% higher than during the same period a year earlier.
Ruppel has described pharmaceutical development as one of Krasnodar’s industrial priorities. The region has a population of about 6 million people and receives more than 18 million tourists each year, giving local healthcare and medicine suppliers a sizeable domestic market.
For Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Russia is not a new market. The Ahmedabad-based company has maintained international operations for decades and lists Russia among its global locations. Its Dholka facility is one of its main manufacturing sites, while the company also operates pharmaceutical facilities in Ankleshwar and Jammu.
Cadila Pharmaceuticals was founded by Indravadan A. Modi in 1952 and has grown into a privately held pharmaceutical company with operations covering research, manufacturing and the sale of medicines in international markets. The company marked 75 years in 2026, tracing its history back to the establishment of Cadila Laboratories in 1952.
The company has previously discussed deeper pharmaceutical cooperation with Russia. In 2023, Cadila Pharmaceuticals said it was exploring the possibility of setting up a pharmaceutical injectable manufacturing facility in collaboration with Russian partners.
The latest visit therefore adds to a longer-running discussion around pharmaceutical manufacturing and trade between the two countries. The immediate outcome was a commitment to continue talks on investment, technology and market access. No specific joint venture, investment amount or new manufacturing project was announced during the September 8 visit.
The next stage will depend on whether the discussions can move into formal agreements, regulatory approvals and commercial projects. For both sides, the main areas under discussion are clear: medicines, pharmaceutical ingredients, manufacturing capacity and access to each other’s markets.
