Explained the need to create a four-month supply of medicines in Russia
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“Should have done this a long time ago”
Despite the fact that the sanctions policy did not directly affect the supply of medicines to Russia and practically not a single foreign drug was withdrawn from our market, the import of medical devices still suffered. It is reported that the volume of imports of medicines since the beginning of the year has fallen by 1.5% and interruptions in certain drugs occur periodically. In March, for example, there were serious problems with elthyroxine (for replacement therapy for thyroid diseases), and recently several broad-spectrum antibiotics disappeared from pharmacies at once. In connection with the situation, the Ministry of Health ordered to provide at least a four-month supply of medicines in the regions.
The Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko explained the need to create stocks by delays in the supply of foreign medicines. And although so far no foreign pharmaceutical company has left the Russian market, the logistics of supplies are disrupted and interruptions in various drugs occur regularly. For example, after amoxiclav, the antibiotic rocephin disappeared from the sale. In addition, stocks of other broad-spectrum antibiotics are running out: Augmentin, Ecoclave, Panclava. Pharmacists report that the last supply of amoxiclav was back in June. Augmentin was brought in July, there were no more deliveries, because the suppliers did not have the goods.
In addition, this afternoon with fire, you will not find the drug sinuforte (for the treatment of sinusitis). At the same time, the situation remains unstable – there are no guarantees that some important medicines will not disappear completely. Patients perceive the situation nervously: although in most cases there are analogues for missing drugs, many people are used to certain brand names and do not respond well to replacement.
However, it is not specified what kind of stocks of medicines in the regions the minister had in mind. Where these stocks should be, what specific medicines are missing (only vital and necessary, or in general) is also not very clear. Nikolai Bespalov, Development Director of the analytical company RNC Pharma, is sure that this will affect only the public sector: “It is unlikely that anyone can oblige commercial pharmacies to create such stocks. I am 99% sure that these measures will affect only public clinics and that we are talking about drugs that are used as part of preferential drug coverage in medical institutions. It is not clear why this is being done only now: the situation with interruptions began in March. Probably, stocks of medicines began to form at the beginning of the crisis – the volume of public procurement then grew very much. Well, now, I think, negotiations are underway with partners, the purpose of which is to motivate them to deliver. Therefore, I don’t see anything epoch-making in the decision of the Ministry of Health, it should have been done for a long time.”
— What is the current situation in the pharmaceutical market? Did you manage to improve the logistics of deliveries a little?
“Now there are temporary problems with the supply of some or other types of medicines, but there are no global interruptions. Some foreign pharmaceutical companies have suspended clinical trials in Russia, however, as a rule, these are trials where the drug is expected to be registered in a few years, so let’s wait and see what happens next. But it should be noted that in this situation, Russian manufacturers have become very active. They react to the suspension of the “clinic” by foreigners and try to bring their developments to the market. This process has noticeably intensified.
As experts of the pharmacy market confirmed to MK, creating stocks in pharmacies for four months is something from the realm of fantasy. Pharmacies do not have stocks, since there are no warehouses, because they work “on wheels”, that is, they order what is in demand here and now. According to licensing requirements, a pharmacy should only have a minimum range of medicines, otherwise it may receive a fine.
“Under the current conditions, creating a supply of medicines in the regions for at least 4 months is, of course, the right step,” nevertheless, the director of the SRO “Association of Independent Pharmacies”, head of the Alliance of Pharmaceutical Associations, Victoria Presnyakova, is sure. “Patients, especially people with chronic diseases, must be sure that tomorrow they will have the drug necessary for their life and health. In the spring, due to the rush demand, medicines were purchased for the future, as people did not believe that they would be able to buy all the necessary medicines tomorrow. We see that interruptions in one or another position arise from time to time. The reasons are different: re-registration of drugs, production optimization, changes in supply chains, and others. It was before, only now society perceives it more painfully. However, today drugs and substances are supplied in almost the same volumes as before. According to the FCS, the decline was only about 1%. According to pharmaceutical market analysts, in monetary terms, the volume of imports of medicines, on the contrary, increased compared to last year – for finished dosage forms, the growth was more than 9%. Medical products are not subject to sanctions. None of the foreign suppliers stopped supplying the VED list to the domestic market. But the reality is that no one can be absolutely sure of the future. We are constantly monitoring and studying the situation around the world. So, in the pharmacies of Europe there is now a large shortage of medicines. From the most common painkillers and antipyretics to antibiotics and specific drugs used to treat epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. More than a hundred drugs are in short supply in France, Switzerland, Britain and other countries. Of course, the state must guarantee drug safety to citizens. As for pharmacies, today our assortment allows us to provide treatment and prevention of almost any pathologies, nosologies with the help of domestically produced drugs. Therefore, I can say with confidence that there are enough drugs in pharmacies.”
Newspaper headline:
Arrived on the shelves of pharmacies
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