Proposed Russian drug law "puts patients' health at risk"

Draft documents limiting the state purchases of foreign medication do not take into account the Russian Federation citizens’ rights for affordable and high-quality treatment, according to participants at press conference devoted to the discussion of the draft RF Government Decree (The Pharma Letters passim), posted on the web site of the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (AIPM).

Delegates at the press conference believe that developing the Russian pharmaceutical industry and increasing the share of high-quality medications made in Russia are possible, but these processes should be step-by-step and systematic. One of the ways contributing to the implementation of this objective is localizing the production of medications from international manufacturers. According to the АIPM, the total volume of investments in the establishment of production facilities in Russia, as well as joint projects between companies that are members of the Association and Russian manufacturers has already exceeded $1 billion. However, the incoherence of the state policy on provision of medications might negatively affect this process.

According to the first draft document, only drugs of Russian origin will be allowed to take part in state and municipal purchases, if the Russian Register of Medications contains two or more domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers of products in relation to which an order is placed. The second document specifies that, since January 1, 2014, only products produced in the territory of the Russian Federation in the form of substances or drug formulations will be classed as a medication of the Russian origin.