Russian drugmakers to challenge provision of additional patents on original drugs

Leading Russian pharmaceutical producers plan to challenge the provision of additional patents on original drugs to global drugmakers, with the aim of ending the monopoly of multinationals in some segments of the Russian pharmaceutical market, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

To date, Biocad, one of Russia’s largest pharmaceutical producers, has already filled several law suits to some foreign drugmakers operating in Russia, protesting against the provision of additional patents (such as on new indications and methods of administration of a drug), which, according to the Russian company, do not register a new discovery, but are only designed to prevent the entry of competitors - more affordable generics and biosimilars - after the expiration of the basic patent for an original drug.

Roche and Novartis likely to be affected