Russia capable of manufacturing nearly 80% of critical drugs - Health Ministry

ST. PETERSBURG. June 15 (Interfax) - The Russian government and pharmaceutical companies are searching for new logistic opportunities to deliver excipients, equipment and everything necessary for full-scale drug production, First Deputy Health Minister Viktor Fisenko said.

"Indeed, we have encountered new challenges, and the federal executive authorities and our industry are actively looking for solutions. This implies new logistics to deliver substances, excipients, equipment and everything else necessary for full-scale drug production," Fisenko said a session of the Drug Safety and Security Forum on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

At this point, Russia is able to make nearly 80% of essential and critical drugs, he said.

"We can see that the domestic industry is capable of making practically the entire range of critical drugs, we can make about 80% of 809 drugs with various degrees of localization in our territory. We have learned how to work and rapidly deploy medical products to market," Fisenko said.

Despite the rapid deployment of drugs to market, the share of counterfeit products is miniscule, he said.

"We have learned how to rapidly deploy medical products to market without affecting their quality. [...] Our market is not observing any kind of growth in counterfeit or inferior drugs that could raise questions from the expert community and patients. Their share is miniscule," Fisenko said.

The pharmaceutical industry has the task of informing doctors and patients about drugs made in Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in order to build confidence.