Foreign pharmaceutical companies intend to continue business in Russia - Russian Health Ministry

MOSCOW. July 14 (Interfax) - Representatives of foreign pharmaceutical companies intend to continue business in Russia, including the supply and production of medications and medical equipment, as well as maintenance services, the Russian Health Ministry said.

"We are ready to work at any level. Today's meeting, the answers we have received were useful. We are ready for cooperation, and we are not leaving anywhere," Tadzio Schilling, Chief Executive Office of the Association of European Businesses (AEB), was quoted as saying by Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko's press service at a meeting with Murashko on Thursday.

Murashko met with the AEB leadership, representatives of Western pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of medical equipment, the report said.

"Continual supply is a priority in the healthcare sector today. It is important for the state and manufacturers to maintain dialogue, to hear each other," Murashko said.

The meeting addressed issues relating to the regulation and turnover of medical products and pharmaceuticals in Russia, the organization of state procurement, the regulation of prices on pharmaceuticals and continuity of supplies. It also addressed issues relating to maintenance of medical equipment and software updating.