The Russian government has promised to support pharmaceutical manufacturers who are developing medicines to substitute for imported ones. The amount of funding for such innovative projects will be from 50 to 100 million rubles, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during a meeting with deputy prime ministers on Monday, April 10.
This concerns “the most strategically important medicines in high demand”, which will replace those manufactured under foreign patents. The funds can be used for the development and subsequent registration of domestic drugs, the purchase of equipment and the remuneration of employees engaged in the creation of import-substituting drugs.
“Such a solution will help quickly establish own production after the expiration of the foreign patent. This is especially important in the context of external pressure,” Mishustin said, adding that only those organizations that have sufficient experience and competence in drug production will be eligible for subsidies.
The need to introduce additional support measures to companies involved in the production, testing and market launch of drugs is stated in the list of instructions compiled following the meeting of the President of the Russian Federation with members of the government on January 24, 2023. According to the document, the heads of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation have to report every six months on the stock of “the drugs that are most in demand by the healthcare system.”
