BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 3. Kazakhstan plans to launch production of 494 new types of medicines under eight major investment projects, Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova said at a government meeting.
According to the government's press service, the projects are expected to create more than 1,200 jobs and strengthen the country's pharmaceutical security. The total value of agreements signed by the Ministry of Health for the eight projects amounts to $862 million. Production will be launched in stages, with the first 300 types of medicines scheduled to be manufactured between 2027 and 2030.
Alnazarova also noted that Kazakhstan's pharmaceutical industry has been showing steady growth. In 2025, domestic pharmaceutical production increased by 37%. In the first eight months of 2026, output reached 157 billion tenge (about $346 million), nearly 30% higher than in the same period last year.
Investment in the sector has increased 3.3 times over the past two years, while exports have grown 1.9 times.
According to the minister, the main importers of Kazakh-made pharmaceutical products are Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Moldova. One example of the industry's expansion into international markets is the first shipment to Bulgaria of sitagliptin, a medicine used to treat diabetes, manufactured in Shymkent.
Alnazarova said that the Ministry of Health will continue expanding long-term contracts with manufacturers and improving procurement mechanisms for domestically produced medicines. The new projects are expected to strengthen the country's pharmaceutical manufacturing base and expand the range of medicines produced in Kazakhstan.
The currency conversion was made at the National Bank of Kazakhstan's exchange rate of 453.64 tenge per US dollar as of November 3.
