Russian government to ease rules for foreign drugmakers' participation in public procurements

The Russian government is considering easing the existing restrictions on the participation of foreign drugmakers during public procurements in the domestic market, according to recent statements of some sources close to the Russian Ministry of Health and industry analysts, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

In recent years, the presence of global drugmakers for state tenders in Russia has significantly declined, mainly due to the introduction of the “odd man out” rule, which prevents foreign companies from participating in procurements, in the event there are at least two domestic drugmakers which offer similar products.

The rule was introduced in Russia in February 2015 and since that time has allowed domestic manufacturers to significantly increase their market share. By contrast, the share of global companies has significantly declined, with the probably the biggest drop being observed in the case of anti-cancer drugs.