Ministry of Health under fire
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 1, cont’d p. 2]
Crimean gambit
Crimean pharmacies are apprehensive about Rigla’s advent
Some media have it that the owners of pharmacies located in the Crimea fear that Protek Group and, in particular, Rigla pharmacy chain, which is a Protek company, may venture to their territory. PharmVestnik correspondent Oxana Baranova sorted out the situation.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 3]
Web pharmacies to be legalized
The Ministry of Health, together with Federal Antimonopoly Service and Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development, submitted to the Russian Government a proposal on regulating the remote drug sales market. This proposal appeared as a result of an instruction made by Vice Premier Olga Golodets.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 3]
Time instead of money
Ministry of Health presented draft state guarantee program for 2016
Next year, healthcare tariffs are to show an insignificant growth; however, experts believe that doctors from the “optimized” inpatient clinics will have to go beyond themselves in order to meet the time limits for examining patients stipulated in the updated standards.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 4]
Pain killing in rural areas
Patient coverage with narcotic analgesics relaxed
More than a year has passed since Admiral Vyacheslav Apanasenko’s suicide – a high profile case resulting from failure to prescribe a pain killer in time. Admiral Apanasenko was the first widely known but far from the only victim of the inefficient system of cancer patients coverage with narcotic drug. According to different sources, the number of suicides numbers in dozens. The government order signed in August that permits rural healthcare organizations to dispense pain killers is aimed to loosen up the social strain. However, the government has no idea so far about how to make businesses participate more actively in solving this problem.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 5]
Stumbling block
Generic manufacturers wait for data exclusivity use to be clarified
The second part of October is likely to see a new round in the development of a test case on banning Nescler (INN fingolimod) circulation. The Biointegrator company that markets this generic is preparing to file a cassation appeal. However, the win at the court of appellate jurisdiction made Novartis, the manufacturer of the originator drug Gilenya, so sure of its own stand that this corporation has abandoned the claim to the Ministry of Health on declaring Nescler registration void. Experience has proven that so far, even the import substitution policy has not deprived foreign manufacturers of the chance to maintain dominance in the Russian market totally due to the Russian legislation.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 6]
As you call your business, so it will flourish
The “Editorial Fireplace” rubric hosted CEO of Samson-Pharma pharmacy chain Samson SOGOYAN. He told PharmVestnik Editor-in-Chief Herman Inozemtsev and correspondent Polina Zvezdina about the chain development plans as well as why pharmaceutical business requires military discipline.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 9]
Domestic attack
Extension of foreign medical devices banned list provoked heated discussion
The Ministry of Industry and Trade prolonged the discussion of the draft resolution on extending the banned list covering foreign medical devices and equipment based on the “odd-man-out” principle to the 1st of October, 2015. The professional community took this document in diverging ways. The issue is so hot that it inspired a hacker attack.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, pp. 10-11]
Measuring the diving depth
Russian Pharma market prospects as viewed by local manufacturers and foreign industrial builders
The first stage of foreign pharmaceutical manufacturing localization in Russian is over. Now the Big Pharma companies are challenged with full-cycle drug manufacturing. They are being stimulated both by carrot and sticks. After the long-awaited and so far unsigned government resolution on the “odd-man-out” principle comes in force, the Ministry of Industry and Trade intends to give preferences to pharmaceutical manufacturing proceeding from the depth of their manufacture localization in Russia. Foreigners admit that the Russian market is quite tempting for investors, however, a number of terms and conditions make them think about the depth of their “penetration” in the Russian market.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 12]
In standby mode
Pharmaceutical retailers need money to make changes
After the stormy years 2013—2014, the current situation in the retail sector may be considered protracted calm. Although, according to RNC Pharma, a cumulative share of the ТОP15 pharmacy chains grew 6% as of H115, due to M&A deals, among other things, the consolidation rate is still insignificant. Nonetheless, the low profitability of pharmacy chains makes it possible for their owners and experts to assert that this process is unavoidable. The only “but” is the fact that under the crisis in the capital market, there are no heroes capable of leading this process. Therefore of special interest is the gimmickry that retailers employ to circumvent the money issue.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 13]
Not local so far
Specific aspects of drug manufacture localization in Russia
According to IMS Health, in 2014, imported drugs accounted for 78.4% of the government procurement sector in value terms, leaving just 21.6% for local pharmaceuticals. However, taking into account the fact that some foreign companies have been doing quite well producing their drugs in Russia, this ratio may change to the opposite.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, pp. 16-17]
Pricing passion
Kazakhstan regulators are demonstrating hotfoot activity regarding drug pricing methods, despite the fact that the appropriate orders were issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Republic of Kazakhstan a few years ago. PharmVestnik correspondent Elena Son asked for comments Vyacheslav LOKSHIN, President of the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Kazakhstan.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 20]
When low prices are no goodness
In June, in Vologda region, a resolution was passed on cutting the maximum admissible markups on drug prices by 5% for pharmacies and 1% — for wholesalers. The regional authorities were very proud when reporting on this fact. But already in August, the monitoring of the situation at the Russian pharmacy chains performed by the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development revealed that in Vologda region (together with Chechen Republic and Adygeya), the least number of the VED-listed drugs was available. Experts believe that populist affirmations by the officials regarding drug price cuts have just one result, namely drugs simply disappear from pharmacies.
[PharmVestnik # 25, 25/08/2015, p. 21]
