Poor protection of IP right continues to put pressure on pharma sector in Russia

The protection of intellectual property (IP) rights currently remains one of the most pressing problems for global drugmakers operating in the Russian market, according to recent statements by Oksana Monzh, general director of French pharma major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) in the Eurasian Region and representatives of other producers.

As Ms Monzh, said in an interview with the Russian RBC Trendy business paper, there are still many barriers for foreign drugmakers in the Russian pharmaceutical sector.

“Probably the main of such barriers is the protection of intellectual property rights. For example, it is currently possible in Russia to register a generic drug before the expiration of the patent for the original drug. And there are no restraining measures that would prevent unscrupulous players from participating in the auction. Even if the original manufacturer manages to defend the rights in court, the proceedings will take one to two years. And if you want to compensate for the damage, you will have to fill new lawsuits,” commented Ms Monzh.