Russian government may change mechanism of price regulation for vital drugs

Sales of essential and vital drugs in Russia rose by 16% to 37.85 billion roubles ($1.21 billion) in the first quarter of the current year, according to data provided by IMS Health Russia during the recent Russian pharmaceutical forum organized by the Adam Smith Institute.

Sales of vital drugs increased despite the fact that prices for them are regulated by the state, which forces pharmacies to compensate their losses by a substantial increase in the prices of other drugs.

According to Russian analysts, currently there is a clear trend of a shift in consumer demand towards more quality and expensive drugs. In this regard, according to deputy director of Stada CIS Ivan Glushkov, distributors and pharmacies tend to order more expensive drugs.