The Akrikhin pharmaceutical factory in Moscow, opened in 1992 for production of cardiological medicines in cooperation with Bristol - Mayers Squibb Co. (USA)
Photo: Alexander Kurbatov
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Strategy: Russian Medicines Triumphant
The chemical technology and bioengineering department of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Energy has begun developing a new development strategy for the Russian pharmaceuticals industry that will protect it from “unscrupulous Western competitors” through artificial administrative barriers and the gradual replacement of foreign medicines with local analogs.
The new strategy will take into consideration recommendations by Federal Health and Social Development Supervision Service (Roszdravnadzor) that include licensing and increasing control over Western pharmaceuticals production in Russia. The projects authors point out that Russian pharmaceuticals undergo rigorous registration and testing procedures, while foreign manufactures operating in Russia do not. Another measure under discussion, according to one of the drafters of the document, is forcing foreign pharmaceuticals producers operating in Russia to form a Russian legal entity.
Svetlana Zavidova, executive director of the Association of Organization for Clinical Research, pointed out that “The authors of the idea are unperturbed by the fact that Western products are licensed and inspected in their countries of origin, where requirements for those procedures are much stricter than in Russia. In addition, there is simply no pool of inspectors in Russia with the necessary qualifications.”
According to the RMBC agency, Russian pharmaceuticals accounted for 22 percent of the market in pharmacies and 33 percent, in hospitals in monetary terms, in the first nine months of last year. Another measure may be giving preference to Russian drugs in the state medical aid program and in federal programs to fight rare and contagious diseases. Now, RMBC found, only 8 percent of medicines in the federal aid program are Russian-made.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 05, 2008
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