The Russian Ministry of Health has announced three tenders for the purchase of antiretroviral drugs, which will be funded from the public budget for 2022, Kommersant reports. This is indicated in tender documents posted on the public procurement portal.
The agency plans to allocate more than 1.4 billion rubles for the additional purchase of the lopinavir/ritonavir. It is planned to purchase 27,000 annual courses.
The publication notes that in the first half of 2020, the Ministry of Health purchased 450,000–500,000 annual supplies of drugs, and in 2021, 350,000–300,000. By mid-July, the ministry signed contracts worth more than 27.7 billion rubles, having purchased 367,200 annual supplies, which is less than in 2020. Then the agency purchased 483,800 annual supplies, for more than 24.9 billion rubles.
The Ministry of Health reported that the coverage of antiretroviral therapy for patients with HIV infection has reached the target set by the State Strategy for Countering the Spread of HIV infection for 2021. The ministry stressed that the Federal Center for Planning and Organization of Medical Support has concluded 75 state contracts for the supply of drugs for almost 30 billion rubles. This also includes drugs for other diseases, e. g., for hepatitis C.
HIV drugs are included in the expanded list of strategically important medicines that are to be produced in Russia. In total, it includes 215 items, including medicines for emergency medical care, treatment of oncological and rare diseases, as well as hepatitis and insulin-dependent diabetes.