Current issue #32, 2016

Food retailers still after selling drugs

President of the Russian Retail Market Expert Association Andrey Karpov stated that if supermarket owners got seriously interested in selling pharmaceuticals then the pharmacy segment players who had been fighting fiercely against the initiative to legalize OTC drug sales at stores would find themselves amidst food business before one could say Jack Robinson. In response to such a bold statement, the latter demanded equal terms and declared their readiness to sell alcohol. Food retailers have not been taken aback by this threat. They are sure about their strong lobbying position and advised pharmacy chains to pool some money in order to create a lobby of their own.

[PharmVestnik # 32, 11/10/2016, p. 1, cont’d p. 2]

Local businesses consider billion-ruble-worth state preferences insufficient support

Businesses choose to refer to the funds invested by the government into the local pharma industry development as to support tools rather than preferences. In their opinion, this would be a more precise definition of the special-purpose instruments that have been actively implemented since 2014. While breaking them into two categories, i.e. anti-crisis and purpose-oriented in respect of the Federal Target Program Pharma-2010, spokespersons for Russian pharmaceutical companies do not deny that they have been able to benefit from both. Yet, they consider insufficient the overall support concept being implemented by the government. Such opinion was voiced within the framework of the 7^th international conference “What is going on in the pharmaceutical market?” hosted by Infor-media.

[PharmVestnik # 32, 11/10/2016, p. 4]

Key to price-cutting

FAS to broaden control over intellectual property rights

A compulsory licensing was one of the topics on the agenda of the 7^th international conference “What is going on in the pharmaceutical market?”. First this initiative put forward by the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) was thoroughly analyzed by lawyers, patent law experts, and economists. Then the floor was taken by Timofey Nizhegorodtsev, Director of the FAS Social Affairs and Trade Control Department, who assured that there was no threat in store for the rights owners. Now it is everyone’s guess why this issue was raised at all.

[PharmVestnik # 32, 11/10/2016, p. 4]

FAS permits advertising of RIA Panda dietary supplements; manufacturer still u...