Russia may start compulsory licensing of HIV/AIDS drugs this year

Russia may start the use of the recently-announced practice of compulsory licensing of drugs already in the coming weeks.

At the initial stage this may apply to the drugs which are used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, according to statements of Veronika Skvortsova, Russia’s Minister of Health, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. Implementation of these measures is an acute need, as in recent years the country has faced with a real epidemic of HIV/AIDS, she said.

Ms Skvortsova said that the Russian government currently experiences a shortage of funds for the purchase of expensive imported drugs for the treatment of HIV, so the introduction of compulsory licensing will allow for significant improvement in the current situation.