Imperial ambitions
Distributor will cease working with pharmacies and will focus on state procurement
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 1, cont’d p. 3]
A spoke in wheel
Manufacturers of dietary supplements disagree with inspection findings
In early June, a press conference on counterfeit drug turnover was held. It was devoted to the earlier published (for details see the material “Knock-out dose”, PharmVestnik No. 18 dated 02.06.2015) deplorable results of studying the dietary supplements pharmacy segment: in the composition of the most popular dietary supplements boosting sexual vigor, Rx drug ingredients were detected. However, PharmVestnik was contacted by representatives of the accused party, i.e. manufacturers of dietary supplements. They claim that the information on the presence of Rx drug ingredients in their products is inaccurate.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 2]
Limping in tune with the times
Ministry of Health offers to equip villages with Skype and improves functionality of its website
Ministry of Health image spending and ideas for promoting web technologies to the patients excite the public. Published results of the bidding for updating the Ministry’s official website together with the Health Minister’s announcement of а new medical service for inhabitants of remote villages — doctor’s advice by Skype — taking place against the background of a regular inspection of the Ministry by the Auditing Chamber do not encourage optimism and make some experts doubt the adequacy of the things going on.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 1, cont'd p. 4]
Specifics of national vaccination
Rostech Group reviews its biopharmaceutical assets
As it has become known to PharmVestnik, biopharmaceutical company FORT passed an independent technological audit of its manufacturing site. The auditor was Natsimbio holding company, a Rostech Group’s subsidiary. The audit aimed at a subsequent placement of an order for manufacturing influenza vaccine Ultrix. They stated at Natsimbio that the audit was necessary for a complete understanding of all possibilities and limitations of the holding company’s production assets (Rostech Group owns 25% of FORT). However, experts were somewhat surprised at Natsimbio’s intent to place its order at FORT’s site that anyway holds marketing authorization for Ultrix.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 4]
Original, but not an expertise
Ministry of Health developed regulations for evaluating the effect of excipients on drug safety and efficacy as well as procedures for handling adverse effect reports
For public review, draft documents have been submitted, without which it, in fact, does not make sense discussing drug interchangeability or drug circulation control. However, having for the most part highly appreciated their purpose, experts think these drafts to be framework documents that need to be further developed and made more specific. Some people advise Ministry of Health to be more precise when solving its tasks and make use of foreign experience.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 5]
Distributors looking for growth
The “Editorial Fireplace” rubric invited First Vice-President of pharmaceutical group ROSTA Alexander TARASOV. He told PharmVestnik Editor-in-Chief Herman Inozemtsev and correspondent Polina Zvezdina about plans of creating a vertically integrated holding company, collaboration with food retail chains, and philosophy of the largest distributor.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 6]
Old age, boy, is no joy
The problem of medical aid and drug coverage availability for the elderly needs to be solved by the state
Elderly patients are currently more vulnerable in terms of medical aid availability. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to implement multiplying ratios for medical aid tariffs in the compulsory health insurance system and include new orphan medical technologies in the treatment regimens for this patient group, experts believe.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 7]
Such a different crisis
Experts differed in their assessment of main trends of pharma market development
At the regular meeting of the Russian Association of Pharmaceutical Marketing (RAPM) on 4th of June, there were only three spokespersons. However, that was sufficient for analytical companies to be able to interpret the topic of the meeting reading “Where is the crisis?” in different ways.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, pp. 8-9]
Chemical reaction
Manufacturers of chemically derived active pharmaceutical ingredients waiting for adequate state support
On 1st of July, 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is to propose a draft resolution, in accordance with which the procedures of subsidizing API manufacturers will be approved. The work on this document has been ongoing since early May. It was fine with all market players in its first reading; however, its final version may disappoint manufacturers of chemically derived APIs.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 1, cont’d p. 10]
Height of “Barometer”
Russians hope that new drugs will increase their living standards
Nearly half of the Russians (46%) and more than half of the Muscovites (61%) believe that innovative, more efficacious drugs will positively affect their living standards, should such drugs make their way to the market. At that, 52% of the Muscovites think that the drug quality is more important for them than its price. These were the results of the public opinion poll made by Bayer Barometer in April 2015.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 12]
We’d like to run the show
Manufacturers of medical devices took an active stand in upholding of their interests. Having sensed the government’s desire to accelerate the import substitution, domestic companies state openly that the main barriers on their way to the market are being put by their foreign colleagues who are more experienced in dodging the legislative environment. In late June, Moscow hosted the congress of pharmaceutical and medical industry workers, where the industry representatives tried to prioritize their burning problems. Frankly, these burning problems are already well worn and are just trading their places depending on the mood of the times. However, the professional community believes that the time limitations for these problems do not matter and that the main thing is to push the most current issues to the fore while being abreast of the legislation. This was the point where the opinions divided.
Solving what problem is more important today – product registration or sales? This was the question addressed to manufacturers of medical devices by PharmVestnik correspondent Oxana Baranova.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 13]
Live-luring
Pharmacies are being inspected using increasingly sophisticated methods
The Urals pharmacists are not afraid of inspections. They even think inspections to be useful if the auditors are not nit-picking and do not incite problems. In early 2015, representatives of prosecutor's office and the Federal Antimonopoly Service were visiting pharmacies of the Sverdlovsk region checking whether there were overvalued VED drugs. No violations were revealed as both private and state pharmacies have already learned how to round the maximum permissible prices to the lower end. Judging by the arbitration practices, arguments are conducted on the compulsory drug lists, temperature conditions of drug storage, and Rx drugs dispensing.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 15]
Motivated stock movement
Trade marketing technologies under a crisis
The marketing focus of the companies targeted at increasing the efficiency of their business are shifting towards the development of the communication channels that are characterized by a guaranteed return on investment as well as reliable and forecastable results.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, pp. 18-19]
We have a KAM. Do you?
Quite often, companies use key account managers when they are not needed. For a KAM-based approach to be a success, it is necessary to precisely determine a customer to whom it will be applied, find out his/her demands, and structure the team depending on the abilities of each team player.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, p. 19]
The end of the “Belle Epoque”
Rating of Russian pharmaceutical distributors as of Q115
The economic crisis regarding the drug wholesale segment brought about partly paradoxical results: the market share of the majority of the large players has appreciably grown over the last year. Withdrawal from the market of a number of big players played a role. It all started with the move by the Finnish Oriola and folding the wholesale operations by the company’s current owners. Meanwhile, the actions by the Finns were just an illustration of the industry problems as a result of which another distributor, Imperia-Pharma, basically withdrew from the market at the end of 2014 – the beginning of 2015. The latter’s market share, especially regarding supplies to the retail segment, is being actively divided among the other suppliers.
[PharmVestnik # 20, 23/06/2015, pp. 20-22]
