Russia develops criteria for including drugs in list of strategically important meds

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has developed criteria for including drugs in the list of strategically important medicines – a measure that will provide an opportunity for their manufacturers to apply for new government support measures, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

As has been recently explained by the Ministry, in the future these manufacturers of strategically important drugs will be able to apply for state support measures, including preferences in state purchases in the "second wheel" format. The capacity of the Russian drug procurements’ sector in 2024 amounted to 819 billion roubles ($9.25 billion), where localized drugs account for only 39.2% of supplies (in value terms).

In addition to its presence in the list of vital drugs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposes four new criteria for a drug to be included in the list of strategically important. Among them is its use for the immunoprophylaxis of infectious diseases; the presence of the drug in the clinical recommendations of the Ministry of Health (in this case, it must either have no analogues, or to be purchased within the framework of state purchases more than others). The third criterion assumes that the drug applying for inclusion in the list has been supplied to state hospitals and clinics in the last three years, but its share in volume terms on the market does not exceed 50% (this criterion should help to avoid monopoly of certain individual manufacturers). Finally, the fourth criterion is the absence of a valid patent for the active ingredient of the drug by the manufacturer.