Russia eyes total overhaul of pharma patent regulation

Russia needs a total overhaul of its patent regulation system with regard to pharmaceuticals, with the aim to ensure access for the local population to cheaper drugs, according to recent statements by local pharma analysts and some domestic media, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

As experts of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) – a public association that unites representatives of Russian business, (including those in the field of pharmaceuticals) - said one of the most important goals that should be solved in the domestic pharmaceutical sector is putting an end to the practice of "evergreen patents" for drugs and their components in the Russian market.

According to Anatoly Semyonov, deputy head of the RUIE’s Committee on Intellectual Property and Creative Industries, the introduction of changes in legislation in this area will allow domestic companies to offer consumers their own, cheaper products compared to foreign analogues. Mr Semenov believes that any delay in conducting such reform may lead to a significant growth of mortality rate from certain serious diseases in Russia.