Created in September 2016 within the framework of the International Event “Russian Competition Week” in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of competition law and policy of the BRICS countries.

The main objectives of the Working Group:

Development of specific proposals for the formation of a competitive environment in the pharmaceutical markets;

Increasing the availability of medicines for the population;

Improving the pricing mechanisms for medicines;

Suppression of unscrupulous practices of the largest pharmaceutical companies, the creation of fair conditions for all market participants;

Finding a balance between issues of compulsory licensing, intellectual property rights and effective antimonopoly regulation;

Fighting violations of antitrust laws in the pharmaceutical markets;

Developing coherent approaches to the consideration of global transactions in the pharmaceutical markets.

Priority issues for study within the Working Group:

Questions of the methodology for determining the pharmaceutical market / market analysis;

Issues related to drug pricing;

Issues related to the detection and suppression of violations of antimonopoly laws in the pharmaceutical markets;

Issues related to the unfair behavior of participants in the pharmaceutical market;

Issues of competition in the implementation of public procurement of drugs in electronic format;

Issues related to the consideration of transactions of economic concentration in the digital age;

Issues related to the consideration of mergers of pharmaceutical companies with enormous technological and innovative potential.

Activity Plan of the Working Group:

The work of the BRICS pharmaceutical Working Group increasingly attracts representatives of the international competition community.

Representatives of competition authorities not only of the BRICS countries, but also of other foreign countries and international organizations traditionally participate in the meetings of the Working Group.

Meetings of the BRICS pharmaceutical Working Group are regularly held in conjunction with meetings of the international Working Group on Pharma, which was established in 2012 by the competition authorities of Russia and Italy and which includes competition authorities from many countries around the world.