Pharmaceutical companies are reducing prices for medicines following FAS recommendations

Earlier the antimonopoly authority published a list of 48 drugs, prices on which in other countries were lower than the ceiling ex-works prices registered in the Russian Federation.

Following FAS recommendations owners and holders of registration certificates voluntarily started reducing drug prices. Earlier the antimonopoly authority published a list of 48 drugs, prices on which in other countries were lower than the ceiling ex-works prices registered in the Russian Federation. The list was drafted based on the data of the first stage of an international comparative analysis of drug prices, carried out by FAS to execute the instructions given by the President of the Russian Federation.

As of 21 November 2016, prices for 12 medicines went down upon petitions from companies in the State register of the ceiling ex-works prices.

In particular, “Sandoz” cut down its ceiling ex-work prices for all medicines in the FAS list, namely: “Cyclosporine Sandoz” (the International Non-Proprietary Name: “Cyclosporine”) by up to 22-54% depending on a dosage and “Mycophenolate Sandoz (the International Non-Proprietary Name: “Mycophenolate mofetile”) – by up to 53%. Thus, according to the comparative analysis conducted by the antimonopoly body, the companies set their prices at the level of the minimum ex-works prices on those drugs registered in Bulgaria and France accordingly.

“Novartis” reduced the price for “Tacrosel” (the International Non-Proprietary Name: “Tacrolimus”) by 29-46% depending on a dosage – to the minimum prices found in Croatia and Romania. “Novartis”  also cut down by 10% the maximum ex-works prices for “Myfortic” (mycophenolate acid) and “Astellas Pharma” decreased the price for “Prograph” (the International Non-Proprietary Name: “Tacrolimus”) by 12%. At the same time, prices for “Myfortic” and “Prograph” have not reached the lowest prices registered in Poland and Greece accordingly.

Head of FAS Department for Control over Social Sphere and Trade, Timophei Nizhegorodtsev: “Today prices for 12 out of 48 drugs purchased under the “7 Nosologies” programme are reduced. For other drugs the Antimonopoly Service is investigating the reasons for ceiling ex-works prices registered in Russia exceeding the lowest prices in other countries, identified by FAS. The antimonopoly authority is also preparing decisions to abolish the prices for particular drugs, previously approved by the Federal Tariff Service”.