This expert opinion was expressed by Victor Dmitriev, speaking at the XI International Congress «OrgZdrav 2023» last Thursday. He pointed out the imperfection of the pricing methods used today in pharmaceuticals, which lead to the fact that the production of drugs costing less than 100 rubles becomes not only unprofitable, but even causing losses, and contributes to the “washout” of low-price segment drugs from the market. In turn, the introduction of the «second wheel» mechanism, according to the expert, is an obstacle to the creation of healthy competition in the market and deprives the doctor and patient of the right to choose therapy.

The head of the Association of Russian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers noted with regret that the domestic pharmaceutical industry today is completely dependent on imported equipment, spare parts and software, which business has repeatedly said, calling for stimulating Russian developments in these areas, but to this day the situation has not changed radically. Also critical for related industries is the lack of qualified specialists and the provision of a personnel reserve, in particular in the field of chemical production.

It is possible that the transfer of the industry under the jurisdiction of a single regulator could facilitate the adoption of constructive, competent and balanced decisions, since different departments have different KPIs and sometimes set opposite directional tasks for the pharmaceutical industry.

Alexei Kurinny, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection, who moderated the session, agreed with his colleague. “It is necessary to maintain a delicate balance between the safety and availability of medicines for citizens, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to try to ensure that regulation does not become that heavy stone that today does not allow domestic pharmaceutical companies to develop,” he stressed.