New state decree to restrict procurements of some important drugs in Russia

A new draft government decree, which was developed by Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, will restrict state purchases of drugs against some serious diseases, among which are HIV, oncology, diabetes and tuberculosis and will lead to their shortage in the Russian market, according to recent statements by representatives of the All-Russian Union of Patients (ARUP), one of Russia’s leading public associations representing interests of patients, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

The new decree is based on the “second extra” rule and is part of the existing strategy of import substitution in public procurements in Russia. It will work by analogy with the “third extra” rule, which is currently used during state tenders for procurements of drugs in Russia. In accordance with the rule a foreign drugmaker is not allowed to bid if at least two manufacturers from the EAEU countries participate in the auction.

According to the Russian Vedomosti business paper, in 2020, 160 oncologists and hematologists in Russia wrote a collective letter to the national government, indicating the side effects and adverse reactions from the use of domestic generics in children with cancer. After that, the government decided to make an exception to the “extra third” rule in regard of nine original drugs.