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Global drugmakers operating in Russia have called on the national government to lift the existing “third excess,” norm - the rule, limiting the participation of foreign drugmakers in state tenders in Russia.
According to them, this norm should be abolished for the purchases of drugs for the treatment of socially significant diseases, as well as some other diseases.
In fact, the third excess rule has been in force in Russia since 2015 restricting participation of foreign drugmakers in state tenders, if at least two domestic companies are participating.
Since that time, such practice has been frequently criticized by both doctors and patients, according to whom, this has stimulated purchases of drugs of low quality and at lower prices. The rule even resulted in the disappearance of certain categories of drugs from the Russian market, particularly some basic medicines for the treatment of leukemia.
Government instruction issued
In the meantime, mindful of the existing problem, in February this year the Russian government issued an instruction to the Ministry of Health to facilitate the procurement of specific drugs for state needs. These instructions were primarily applied to those drugs that could be purchased by trade name.
However, so far, no progress in this field has been achieved, while, according to the proposal of some global drugmakers, it would be more efficient to replace the non-existent list of drugs with a list of socially significant diseases and remove it under the regulation of third excess rule.
Such a list is expected to be comprised of a wide range of drugs that could be recommended for the treatment of various diseases, such as those of the cardiovascular system, cancer, diabetes mellitus, HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and mental disorders.
As a result, global drugmakers will receive access to participate in the majority of state tenders in Russia.
According to representatives of producers, health care providers should be guided by the quality, effectiveness and safety of the drug, instead of its country of origin.
In the meantime, the Russian patient community is proposing an even more radical solution for the existing problem, supporting the complete abolition of third excess rule, with the aim of stimulating competition in the domestic pharmaceutical market. |
