Pharmaceutical manufacturers started reducing prices for HIV-drugs

Price reduction is based upon the findings of the second phase of an international comparative price survey conducted by FAS

At the second stage of the international comparative analysis FAS was studying prices for the drugs used to treat patients with HIV, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis with multiple drug resistance.

The Antimonopoly Service established that prices on 95 drug positions in other countries (including the reference countries for Russia) were below the ceiling ex-works manufacturer prices registered in the Russian Federation.

FAS proposed to all owners and holders of the registration certificates for the above drugs to take advantage of the right to file applications to decrease the registered ceiling ex-works prices.

Some pharmaceutical companies started reducing the drug prices voluntarily. As of 9 February 2017, 30 earlier registered prices in the State Register of ceiling Ex-Works Prices were decreased.

Among the first companies reducing their prices are: “Teva” (Israel), “Sandoz” (Slovenia), “EBV” (Germany), “GlaxoSmithKline Trading” (the UK), “Roche” (Switzerland), “ViiV Healthcare” (the UK), “Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd” (India), “Panacea Biotec Ltd.” (India) and “Plethico Pharmaceuticals Ltd” (India). The reduction on average reached 30 % of earlier registered prices. The biggest reduction in RUB (4800 Rub per consumer packaging) was observed for “Plevolox” (presentation – tablets) made by “Plethico Pharmaceuticals Ltd” (India).

Head of FAS Department for Control over Social Sphere and Trade, Timophey Nizhegordtsev said: “FAS receives information on a daily basis about price-reduction applications filed or are to be filed by manufacturers to the Ministry of Health Care of the Russian Federation. Also many companies responded to FAS proposal and help the regulator clean up the Price Register from long non-existent drug positions. FAS started investigations of a number of pharmaceutical companies that failed to reduce their prices for HIV-treatment after receiving the official statement from the Antimonopoly Service and expiration of the recommended deadline for filing the relevant applications. Should price registration violations for these drugs be confirmed, the decisions on the earlier approved manufacturer prices for these drugs will be abolished”.