Russia reduces procurement of original anti-HIV drugs due to lack of funds

Russia is reducing procurements of expensive Western original drugs for the treatment of HIV, switching to cheaper medicines, due to the lack of funds and the ever-growing number of patients with HIV in the country, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

According to some Russian media reports, such budget for the current year of 30 billion roubles ($555 million) has already been exhausted: part of this amount was reserved in three-year contracts concluded in 2021 for the supply of raltegravir, Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Isentress, dolutegravir, GSK’s (LSE: GSK) Tivicay, and etravirine Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE: JNJ) Intelence. This year, Genvoya (elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir) was purchased from Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD), which was included in the list of Vital and Essential Drugs in 2021.

However, despite this, the procurements of high-priced anti-HIV drugs in Russia is steadily declining.