Current issue #29, 2015

Azerbaijan fences off Russian drugs

Following the decision of Azerbaijan’s Council for Tariffs, external reference drug pricing has been implemented in the Republic. This is due to challenges associated with the changed national currency rate. Russian manufacturers warn that the drug coverage situation may become further aggravated. In the Drug Pricing Instructions that set the external reference pricing rules, Russia together with India, China, and – by the way – the USA has been referred to the third, lowest priority, exporter group. This means that the road to Azerbaijan for Russian drugs has been practically blocked.

[PharmVestnik # 29, 22/09/2015, p. 1, cont’d p. 5]

Rare tablet

Social activists call on regional authorities not to forget about rare disease patients funding issue

Experts believe that 12 billion RUB allocated by the government to Russian regions for purchasing drugs for patients with orphan or complicated chronic diseases is a one-time “throw in”. Subventions cannot resolve all problems related to drug coverage of rare disease patients. The orphan drug availability and affordability issue was to be discussed at the recent All-Russia People’s Front forum visited by the President of Russia. However, this topic has been hushed up, possibly because the funds had been transferred to the regions shortly prior to that event, experts think. These funds helped prevent a collapse, but the question is still open on how the regions are going to cope with drug coverage of the patients in 2016. The regional authorities need to think about that now and keep making their presence felt by the Federal government.

[PharmVestnik # 29, 22/09/2015, p. 1, cont’d p. 2]

Web-based therapy

Digital Health representatives discussed pressing issues of physician education and regulatory framework 

An open meeting titled “IT in Medicine: Trends and Prospects” was held in Moscow on September 15. Representatives of the medical information portal MedAboutMe who organized the event described it as a “Digital Health business elite come-together”. During the meeting, the “elite” wisecracked each other in an intelligent manner, which, regrettably, has not resulted in an outright conflict.

[PharmVestnik # 29, 22/09/2015, p. 3]

In full view

Moscow City Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund opens access to CMI data

Moscow City Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund launched a web service that makes it possible for each citizen insured within the CMI system to access the information on th...