Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, spoke at the strategic session of the RegLek conference. Under his chairmanship, leading experts from EAEU countries considered a wide range of the most important integration processes for the formation of a common market for medicines within the Eurasian Economic Union. The common “seamless” market will improve accessibility and reduce the cost of medicines. The event discussed issues of information and expert interaction within the EAEU procedures, current law enforcement practices, as well as ways to improve and harmonize expert approaches.

Unified requirements and mutual recognition of results

Today, the Russian Ministry of Health stands on the position of uninterrupted supply of medicines to patients at affordable prices. Mikhail Murashko emphasized that since the signing of the Agreement on Uniform Principles and Rules for Circulation of Medicines of the EAEU a tremendous amount of work has already been done to develop the common pharmaceutical market and harmonize approaches to its regulation.

– The EAEU countries mutually recognize the results of pharmaceutical inspections, preclinical and clinical trials of medicines conducted in accordance with the unified requirements, – said Mikhail Murashko.

It is the dialog with the pharmaceutical industry that is important for the successful development of regulatory processes, said the Head of the Ministry of Health of Russia.

– Together, we have developed and implemented procedures for regulating and bringing drugs to the market on an accelerated basis when the health care system has an urgent need for them. For example, for the treatment of orphan diseases, oncology and other socially significant diseases. At the moment 12 breakthrough drugs have been registered in Russia under the procedure of accelerated registration, and 4 of them are domestic, – said Mikhail Murashko.

These approaches were also used for registration of drugs against Covid-19. – Physical availability of medicines and quick response in case of shortage during the pandemic years saved hundreds of thousands of lives, – said Mikhail Murashko.

Integration processes continue.