Global drugmakers slam latest Russian initiatives on drug procurement

Global drugmakers operating their plants in Russia have criticized the latest state initiative to introduce new restrictions on the participation of foreign drug manufacturers in tenders for the public procurement of drugs for state needs, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

According to producers, the provision of an absolute advantage to Russian companies which use domestically-made substances in their production during state tenders for the public procurement of drugs are totally unfair. Producers believe that the latest state initiative does not comply with global trends of protectionism policies and can lead to a significant increase in prices for drugs during these tenders.

In addition, according to the foreign firms, the new proposal creates additional obstacles for pharmaceutical companies. Given the volume of the Russian market, the cost of the production and the purchase price of a drug manufactured on full cycle basis will be higher than the purchase of a substance from a specialized chain of international manufacturers.