Russia warns of counterfeit threat

Russian government body the Federation Council has warned that the dangers of counterfeit drugs are "acute" and "burning" in the country.

On the back of a meeting of the Federal Council in early June - covering the role of the state in the protection of the Russian market from counterfeit medicines - the government has now decided to form a working party to draft proposals to change current legislation.

Alexander Chukhraev, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's Committee on Social Policy of the Russian Federation, told the conference that between 10 per cent and 12 per cent of all pharmaceutical products sold via legitimate pharmacies are counterfeit.

Opinion polls have shown that roughly 40 per cent of Russian citizens are concerned they are exposed to substandard or counterfeit drugs.

The working party proposed by the Federation Council should be composed of representatives of the Ministry of Health Care and Social Development (Roszdravnadzor), the Federal Customs Service, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as well as pharmaceutical companies.

Valentina Kosenko, a spokeswoman for the Roszdravnadzor, told the Council that 146 low-quality drugs had been removed from pharmacy shelves in 2007 alone, a figure which she allegedly claimed was "considerably less than the actual number of offenders, " according to a Moscow News report.