Novartis criticizes system of public procurement tenders in Russia

Amid the ever growing competition in the Russian pharmaceutical market, the world's largest pharmaceutical giants are gradually losing ground to local competitors, while blaming them for the use of unfair methods of competition, and expressing dissatisfaction with the actions of the Russian government to protect their interests.

An example of this was the recent demarche of the Swiss pharmaceutical major Novartis (NOVN: VX), which recently filed a complaint to the Russian Ministry of Health criticizing the organization of a recent state tender for the purchase of its cancer drug Gleevec (imatinib), according to local sources.

Claims local drugmakers violate company’s rights