"Dangerous" Drug Therapy In Russia

Drug therapy seems to be becoming problematic in Russia, say recentreports. A local committee found 16 cancer drugs to be "highly carcinogenic" after supposedly successful preclinical tests, and a court case regarding a death following "foreign-made aspirin intake" has been heard in St Petersburg, drawing national attention to the problem.

In general, says one journal, Russian drug firms accept practically no responsibility for quality, and it is believed (statistics are virtually non-existent) that drug-related diseases are becoming more common.

While the industry is still dependent on imports, the quality of some of these is being questioned against a background of shortages. In 1995, domestic production of 156 drugs including antituberculosis, hormonal and cardiac drugs and vitamins was stopped, and high-quality imports are affordable only by the affluent. Cheaper drugs produced in the CIS states of the former USSR are unavailable for other reasons; Belarus, Ukraine and the Asian and Baltic republics reportedly ask for high prices and hard-currency payment in from Russia.