The State Duma will consider a bill to reject the WHO recommendations in the near future. Firstly, this organization, clearly pursuing commercial goals rather than caring about Russian citizens, actively imposes foreign drugs, and secondly, the Russian system of drug evaluation and testing is much more serious and thorough.
The bill provides for a ban on the import and sale of foreign drugs recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and not registered in the Russian Federation. Large fines will be imposed for violations. Individuals may be fined 75,000-200,000 rubles, officials – 150,000-600,000 rubles, and individual entrepreneurs – 150,000-600,000 rubles, plus the possible suspension of activity up to 90 days. However, much more serious fines from 2 to 6 million rubles (or suspension of activities up to 90 days) are presupposed for legal entities.
To overcome the dependence on imported drugs, the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Scientific Center for Expertise of Medicinal Products” of the Ministry of Health of Russia is developing a database of samples of vital drugs. Already 99 such samples have been certified and are being sold. Pharmacological companies will receive grants from the state for this purpose. The chairman of the Russian government Mikhail Mishustin has already signed a special decree.
“The norms and requirements for such drugs are clearly prescribed and strictly enforced by controlling structures,” Daniil Bessarabov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on State Construction and Legislation, told the media “So, we should not rely on someone else's international experience. Let them learn from us! Foreign manufacturers must comply with the requirements of Russian law, and our country will achieve this by means of enforcement through bills like this one.”
So far, this bill has not been adopted, and will be considered at a meeting of the State Duma. Meanwhile, the parliamentary factions had different attitudes to this proposal, so there may be many questions to the initiators.
As for the quality of drugs imported to Russia, Roszdravnadzor checks them thoroughly, so Russian citizens should not worry in this regard. Head of the Ministry of Health Mikhail Murashko called the situation on the pharmaceutical market at the moment stable and stressed that this characteristic also applies to the list of vital drugs.