Continued. See the beginning in the issue of 11.05.2022)
During the Years of Renaissance
On March 18, 1946, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted the Law on Five-Year Plan for Restoration and Development of National Economy of the USSR for 1946-1950 which determined the main task of the first post-war five-year plan. It was to rebuild the affected areas of the country, revive the pre-war level of industry, increase production by 48 percent and agricultural productivity by 27 percent, and then surpass it in significant proportions. It was supposed to increase wages, cancel the card system. To build 2,700 new enterprises and repair 3,400 large and medium-sized ones destroyed during the war. The fourth Five-Year Plan was supposed to return the economy of the USSR to its previous positions.
The main attention was paid to the industries that belonged to Group "A". These included the enterprises of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, fuel and chemical industries, mechanical engineering, and energy. They occupy a leading position in ensuring high rates of development of the entire national economy, strengthening the country's defense might and raising labor productivity.
Group B combined the industries producing personal and household items: textile, knitwear, clothing, footwear, furniture, meat and dairy, fish, sugar, etc.
Endocrine Plant of the Moscow Order of Lenin Meat Processing Plant named after A.I. Mikoyan belonged to the enterprises of Group "B" with the special attention being paid to the development of such industries. The population of the country exhausted by the years of war was in the need of a large amount of medicinal products. The overall success of the speedy restoration of the national economy largely depended on this.
Five-Year Plan - Ahead of Schedule
The actual production reached almost 25 million rubles which exceeded the plan by more than 6.8 million rubles. While in 1945 the total production amounted to a little over 8 million rubles. In total, the output increased by 5 times on a quarterly basis as compared to 1945.
In 1946, the plant manufactured 44 medicinal products, 16 of which were produced in excess of the plan.
And this despite the fact that the management of the enterprise faced serious bureaucratic problems. Here are the lines from the explanatory note to the finished report of Mr. Rakity, V.S., Plant Director: “During the first eight months of 1946, the issue of transferring the plant to the territory of the Moscow Meat Processing Plant was repeatedly resolved. By order of the Ministry, the mechanical workshop, biological laboratory, vivarium and other auxiliary departments were dismantled which disrupted the normal operation of the plant. Various central offices and trusts were placed in the liberated territory and the plant not only could not put the equipment of the shops in order but was forced to stop the activities of the technical and sanitary inspectorates, the hormone shop, the folliculin shop and the laboratories at the request of the fire inspectorate”.
All that time the Plant was actually dismantled. Only in Quarter 4, when the issue of temporary preservation of the Plant was finally decided, was it possible to put into operation the leading hormone shop and the folliculin shop. The main efforts of the Plant's employees were aimed at increasing the output of ampoule products that are complex in terms of technology. All manufactured medicinal products underwent mandatory standardization and were analyzed by QCD laboratories (biological, chemical and bacteriological ones). According to the results of the study, the Plant's products met the requirements of technical specifications.
Of particular note is the activity of the experimental laboratory in 1946. It carried out the work on the development and introduction into production of new drugs: folliculin-benzoate, dipropionate, folliculin ointment.
The most important achievements are: the development of the manufacture of the purification of raw insulin, the manufacture of solutions and the release of finished products. The methods for the obtainment of and the technological instructions for myoston as well as for a number of other medicinal products have been developed. Thanks to the new method, it was possible to increase the yield of raw insulin by more than 3 percent as compared to the norm.
The success was that all these products were not previously produced in the USSR. Their release was first introduced at the Plant of Endocrine Drugs a year after the end of the Great Patriotic War. This approach is widely known to modern Russian society as the import substitution.
An important achievement of Soviet medical scientists, pharmacists and drug manufacturers in 1946 was the release of the 8th edition of the State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR. This is a collection of mandatory national standards and regulations that structure the quality of medicinal products which is of a legislative nature.
The first pharmacopoeia was compiled back in the Russian Empire in 1866. The next five were issued, respectively, in 1871, 1880, 1891, 1902 and 1910.
In 1926, the 7th State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR was published.
In the post-war period, a serious shortcoming in the development of the Soviet industry, including the pharmaceutical industry, was the technological lag behind the world scientific and technological progress. In many ways, the reason was the "Iron Curtain" between the USSR and the capitalist countries after the end of World War II.
Despite the difficulties, the work on the creation of new drugs and their production was very successful. The Plant of Endocrine Drugs also made a significant contribution to an important state cause.
This is confirmed by the results of its work in 1948 as evidenced by the archival materials. In particular, the certificate of the production activity of the plant signed by Mr. L. I. Golger, Acting Plant Director, noted that "the established plan for gross output was fulfilled by almost 132 percent."
Such growth was facilitated by the responsible and selfless work of the Plant's employees. In the same document, the reason for the overfulfillment of the targets was named as follows: “The 1948 Plan provided for manufacture of 32 types of medications. Factually, the plant produced 49 items of medications, of which 18 were put out in excess of Plan, 18 items were fulfilled and overfulfilled and 13 items were not fulfilled due to the lack of raw and basic materials”.
In the same period, the enterprise managed to solve one of the main tasks which for a long time seemed almost impossible. The above-mentioned document states: “The purposefulness of the Plant was aimed at increasing the manufacture of complex ampoule products and mainly at increasing the manufacture of insulin in ampoules.”
In 1948, as compared to the previous year, the manufacture of ampoules and vials at the enterprise increased by 23 and 24 percent, respectively.
The Plant paid much attention to the product labeling. Each medicinal product had its own original printed label. The colored labels of hematogen, myol, mammine, pantocrine, ovarin, pituitrin, spermine, angiotrophin especially attracted attention.
The innovative and rationalization activities have become widespread at the Plant. The active work in this direction was carried out by the specialists of the experimental laboratory of the Plant who were engaged in improving the methods for obtaining the manufacturing facilities available at the Plant, mastering new drugs and helping the shops in their work. Thus, for instance, the laboratory specialists developed a new method for the purification of pharmaceutical substances of heparin and insulin which made it possible to increase the activity of the finished product.
Special attention was paid to improving the quality and increasing the production of insulin. To maximize its output, the Plant switched to a new method for the production of raw insulin proposed by engineers Katkovsky, S.V. and Konvia, D.L.
The new method has been used at the Plant since September and was approved by Order No. 1279 of Minister of Meat and Dairy Industry of the USSR dated October 26, 1948 which made it possible to purify raw insulin much better. According to the technology, this drug went through three stages of purification, and the initiative shown by the factory workers made it possible to experimentally prove the correctness of the proposed method. Subsequently, this innovative method began to be introduced throughout the country.
The resulting product had to meet the strict criteria of the Soviet Pharmacopoeia while the population of the country was in dire need of this vital drug.
At that time, the Plant management suggested a completely acceptable solution: “The produced insulin should be good for 9 months, this insulin has only been tested for 2 months, so you should get an order from the Ministry to release this insulin without checking its stability for 9 months the expiration date of which is guaranteed by us with a label in accordance with the 8th edition of the State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR.
In connection with the urgent need for the production of insulin in ampoules, the issue for allowing the manufacture of insulin according to the old method with an alcoholic extract was raised while continuing work and finalizing the new method”.
The insulin batches obtained by this method were used within two months from the date of their manufacture considering the urgent need of the USSR citizens for this product.
One more important strategic direction of the plant's activity was the organization of work for manufacture of domestic antibacterial drugs which had never been previously produced in the USSR.
Their development in the Soviet Union began even before the Great Patriotic War. Already in 1942, microbiologists G. Gause and his wife M. Brazhnikova created the first original Soviet antibiotic. It was isolated from the bacterium Brevibacillus brevis which lives in soil, air, water and feeds on decomposition products. The drug was named as "Gramicidin S" which meant "Gramicidin Soviet". It had a powerful effect on the pathological flora of purulent wounds and was extremely in demand at the war frontline and in military hospitals. However, the mass production thereof and of other similar drugs started only after the end of the Great Patriotic War.
An important role in this work was assigned to the Plant of Endocrine Drugs and the specialists successfully coped with it. Following the results of 1948, the Plant staff mastered the manufacture of a new Soviet antibiotic drug – erythrin which was used in diphtheria. It was possible to develop 8.3 kilograms of the product or 8,315 doses being a very worthy result not much on a national scale but given the experimental nature of manufacture and the fact that everything had to be started from scratch.
Another major achievement was the reduction in the consumption of glass containers for liquid and ampoule preparations. Judging by the reports of past years, this problem has been encountered almost from the first year of the Plant's operation, and it has not been possible to solve it for a long time. In 1948, this figure was reduced by 3 percent for the first time since the start of the Plant's operation with a breaking rate of ampoules of 26 percent.
The result could have been much worse if it were not for one unfortunate incident. In October 1948, Ms. Gorbacheva, M.K., Warehouse Manager, Mr. Frumin, S.L., Ampoule Shop Head and Mr. Prokofiev, V.K., FPC Representative drew up an act on the receipt of almost 2 million imported ampoules from Meat Processing Plant and more than 2 million domestic ampoules from Giredmet Warehouse located in Podolsk near Moscow.
Judging by the document, when opening the packages brought to the Plant from other enterprises, it was found that the ampoules were partially covered with mold. The German-made ampoules were not sealed as a result of which mold penetrated thereinto. As it turned out, the suppliers kept them in a damp, unheated warehouse for a long time and, thus, almost 2 million ampoules had to be rejected as unusable and removed from the factory. Naturally, such blunders of related enterprises affected both labor productivity and the cost of products. Although the labor productivity increased by almost 11 percent according to the results of work in 1948, they were able to reduce the cost of production by only 0.4 percent.
A similar situation developed with the supply of raw insulin. In Quarter 4 of 1949, the Plant received from the Orsk, Semipalatinsk and Kaunas Meat Processing Plants only half of the requested quantity, and the Ivanovo and Biysk Meat Processing Plants completely disrupted the supply plan.
Nevertheless, the post-war period became an important stage for the Company in its further development. In 1949, it was identified as the leader in the manufacture of hormonal drugs. The main place in the manufacture program was occupied by the production of insulin which accounted for more than 83 % in the wholesale selling prices of the Plant.
In order to ensure the maximal possible production of insulin in vials and to create especially important sterile conditions for this drug manufacture, the Plant installed and put into operation an insulin filtration and bottling workshop in September 1950. The Plant fulfilled the production plan for gross output by 100.2 percent. At first glance, the increase is insignificant, but the fact is that in 1950 they planned to produce the products worth 20,000 thousand rubles. Factually, the production accounted for 20,050 thousand rubles being almost twice the final figure for 1949 (10,482 thousand rubles).
Personnel – the "golden" fund of the Plant
During the years of the 4th Five-Year Plan, the active socialist competition and the Stakhanovist movement unfolded at the Plant. So, in 1948, the average output per worker was just over 131 % and the four leading divisions were headed by the packaging, ampoule, children's hematogen and dry drug shops.
By 1950, the average output per worker was just over 143 %. The best results were achieved in the machine, insulin, cleaning and bottling shops. Simultaneously, there was not a single worker who did not fulfill the production norms.
The active participation of plant workers in the Stakhanovite movement was an essential factor in that labor productivity growth. Totally, there were 234 people who participated in the socialist competition at the plant at that time with more than 160 being Stakhanovites. The example of the latter inspired the Plant employees, especially the young people, for new labor achievements. The competition was launched at the Plant for the right to be called an excellent production worker, an excellent production team and an excellent production workshop.
At the call of 88 enterprises of Moscow and the Moscow Oblast, the Plant's workers made commitments for the better use of the fixed assets of manufacturing and production space.
Personnel played another important role, the training of which was carried out directly at the Plant. In 1950, the actual number of workers in the main production was 147; the Plant masters trained 119 people in working specialties with the half being prepared individually and the rest – in a brigade way.
By Order of the Minister of the Meat and Dairy Industry of the USSR, gratitude was announced to the Plant staff with a cash bonus for the early fulfillment of the annual plan following the results of 1948.
Particular importance was attached to non-material incentives for the improvement of the quality and productivity of labor. The teams that achieved the best performance in their work and became winners in the socialist competition were monthly presented with the challenge Red Banner of the Plant. Such recognition of the results of labor was considered extremely honorable and important.
This was emphasized in the reporting documents as achievements in the work of the Plant. In 1950, the Red Banner was awarded twice to the Raw Insulin Shop and the Children's Hematogen Department. Many indicators were taken into account in the determination of the socialist competition winners, both in the individual championship and in the collective championship. Particular attention was paid to the observance of labor discipline by the employees of the enterprise. As archival documents testify, the labor discipline at the plant was exemplary, one might say. Only 4 cases of absenteeism were recorded during that year.
Leading Manufacturer
The Plant employees also made a significant contribution to this state task fulfillment. The Plant team fulfilled its obligation to complete the Five-Year Plan in four years by 100.4 percent. The Plant managed to increase the output of the main types of medicines by 2-2.5 times. The vial packed insulin was produced by 2.5 times as much. At that time, it was the most expensive drug of all produced by the Plant, and the quality work on its release directly influenced the successful implementation of the entire annual plan.
Totally, the Plant planned to produce 11 new types of medicinal products in 1950. The plan was not only fulfilled but also overfulfilled for 7 drugs and produced 19 in excess of the plan with all of them meeting the requirements of the technical control and standardized in the QCD Laboratory.
Another illustrative: in 1943, when the Plant was just starting its work, its products were sent to only a few addresses. By the beginning of the 50s, the range of medicines produced by the Plant expanded significantly. The medicinal products were supplied to almost all republics, territories and regions of the Soviet Union. One statement has been preserved that listed more than 120 consignees of the Company's products, including those from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Estonia ... Everything indicated that the Plant had become one of the main manufacturers of endocrine drugs in the country.
Authors: Nikolai Kartashov, Igor Bysenkov.
Work with archival materials: Anna Bagrina.
Continuation in 22.09.2022 Issue.
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