Russia to postpone mandatory drug labeling for two years

The Russian government has surprisingly decided to make concessions to domestic and global drugmakers operating in the country through the extension of the time, required for the mandatory labeling of drugs, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

Elena Denisova, deputy head of the Department for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry at the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade said yesterday the ministry is ready to review the timing of the introduction of drug labeling in the Russian pharmaceutical market.

On February 1 this year a voluntary experiment for the labeling of drugs in Russia officially started. In accordance with the recent amendments to the existing federal law "On the turnover of drugs in Russia," all drugs present in the Russian market should become subject to mandatory labeling by December 31, 2018.