Russia Regulates Drug Imports/Exports

Russian government resolution 647 (made May 27) on the Import and Exportof Medicines and Pharmaceutical Substances, establishes a list of drugs which may be imported or exported from the Russian Federation only on the basis of licenses granted by the Foreign Trade Ministry, according to a recent report in the Moscow Times.

The resolution is generally applicable to all companies involved in foreign trade. However, firms with foreign investment of over 30% are still permitted to import drugs listed in the resolution without a Ministry license. Such companies will be allowed to import products on the basis of certificates for in-house use, which can be obtained only after the issue of conclusions by the Health Ministry (for human-use medicines) or the Agriculture Ministry (for veterinary products).