Proposed health legislation on a mandatory liability insurance program would see healthcare providers in Russia pay out $66,000 for deaths caused by negligence.

Russia's chief health inspector said on Wednesday he fully supports the ban on night sales of alcohol which comes into force in Moscow on September 1, and hopes similar bans will be applied across the country.

Russian pharmaceutical company Pharmsynthez plans to raise 500 million roubles ($16.28 million) in a stock market float this November, delivering a rare boost to the country's flagging IPO market.

Russian company Altai-Vitamin and Serbia’s Galenika will open a packaging facility for pharmaceutical products of Serbian pharmaceutical company in the Russian town of Bijsk.

On Tuesday, Bono met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ahead of the U2 concert due in Moscow on August 25 at the presidential summer residence in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

Russia’s Ministry of Health and Social Development has submitted to the government a bill completely banning gifts to officials of all ranks, as well as to the staff members of the Bank of Russia.

Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries plans to invest up to $100 million in a drug production plant in Russia as it aims to more than triple Russian sales by 2015.

The Russian government will provide 40 billion roubles for the modernisation of seven leading medical institutes until 2014.

As of 2007, only one out of every five drugs purchased in Russia was produced domestically, and only one of the top 20 producers of drugs sold domestically was a Russian firm.

Sandoz, the world's second largest generic medicine company, is still mulling its options for owning a plant in Russia, company chief Jeff George said in an interview.

Dependence on imports, and the backward state of the industry, have led President Dmitry Medvedev to declare the modernization of the pharmaceutical industry a national priority and one of the five key priority areas for modernization.

Minister of Health and Social Development Tatyana Golikova and German Health Minister Philipp Roesler concluded an agreement on cooperation in public health.

Russia is the first country to approve Merck KGaA's (MRCG.DE) new multiple sclerosis pill cladribine, giving the German drugmaker an edge in the emerging market against larger rival Novartis AG.

The Russian government has on Monday approved a list of strategically important drugs that will need to be manufactured in Russia in the years to come.

The Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk will build an insulin production plant in Kaluga, a regional administration official said on Friday.

First centre of nuclear medicine will soon open in Novosibirsk. The centre will have all necessary facilities to help patients with tumors.

New report provides detailed analysis of the Healthcare and Medical market. In 2009, the number of clinical trials conducted in the country reached around 577, an increase of 14% over 2006. These numbers are further expected to reach around 700 by 2012 end.

The Lower House of the Russian Parliament has unanimously passed the initial version of a Kremlin bill for business - and R&D-friendly customs and taxation regimes in the planned Russian research and development hub in Skolkovo, in the valley of the River Setun just west of Moscow.

The Russian government has no plans to raise the retirement age in the near future, Minister of Health and Social Development Tatyana Golikova said.

Russia slapped "smoking kills" warnings on cigarette packages from Saturday in an effort to crack down on an addiction kills up to 500,000 people a year and is on the rise.

Research medics in St. Petersburg have given a boost to the struggle against HIV and AIDS, by identifying a group of people resistant to HIV.

Global drugmakers are set to pour over a billion dollars into Russian manufacturing in a bid to win the status of local producers and sidestep a tougher government stance on imported medicines.

"The launch of the innovative trend in the development of the pharmaceutical sector will not (happen) without help from the government," Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko said on Saturday.

India is ready to invest in pharmaceutical plants in Russia, the Indian minister of commerce and industry said on Wednesday.

A delegation of Russian maternal and child health experts has just met with their USAID counterparts to discuss bilateral collaboration on key MCH issues.

Last week, USP and the Ukraine Scientific Pharmacopoeial Centre for the Quality of Medicines agreed to share standards for the quality, purity, strength, and identity of medicines.

Russian biomedical plant Diod has set a price range of 30.55 to 40.74 roubles ($0.96-$1.28) per share for its June initial public offering in Moscow, its bookrunner said on Wednesday.

Russian pharmaceutical firm Protek posted a 4.4 percent rise in Q1 revenue in its debut results as a public company, helped by a 5.9 percent rise in its core drugs distribution arm.

The Russian government supports the U.S. company General Electric (GE) in an initiative to set up a joint venture with Russian companies in the energy sector and the health care system, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt here on last Friday.

The Supervisory Council of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) has approved the corporation's participation in a project to create a center for preclinical studies.

Angel Biotechnology has signed a GMP manufacturing contract with Russia pharmaceutical firm Materia Medica Holding.

The Russian Health and Social Development Ministry called on all smokers trying to quit to do so on May 31 on annual international anti-smoking day.

Back in the ’90s, it was not uncommon for foreigners who developed a health problem in St. Petersburg to go to nearby Finland for treatment, especially in emergencies and for surgery.

TNT has expanded its presence in the Russian market in recent years with new domestic and international services, including dedicated services for the clinical trials market.

OAO Protek, the Russian drug company that raised $400 million in an intitial public offering last month, plans to spend half of that money on acquisitions, including to expand its Rigla chain of stores.

The Federal Service on Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development of the Russian Federation (alias RosZdravNadzor, RZN) approved 134 new clinical trials of all types including local and bioequivalence studies during the first quarter of 2010 demonstrating an 18% increase over the corresponding period of last year.

In 2009, the Russian market for medical equipment and supplies was estimated at US$3,323 million. Per capita spending is very low at US$23 per capita. It is expected that the device market will continue to expand at a rate of 5.4% per annum, reaching US$4,319 million by 2014, or US$31 per capita.

It is necessary to considerably reduce Belarus’ dependence on pharmaceutical imports and increase the exports of Belarusian medicines, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said at the government session held on 14 May to discuss the development of the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has given some added thrust to Russia's drive to become a major high-tech drugs manufacturing centre with a deal to build a state-of-the-art insulin production facility in the western Russian region of Kaluga.

It is obvious now that Russian pharmaceutical companies today and in the near future will not be able to satisfy the demand for medicine. For this reason, Russian authorities are creating wide opportunities for the development of local production established by or with the participation of foreign pharmaceutical companies.

The Russian pharmaceutical market has witnessed significant changes in the past couple of years. The landscape is now set to alter again, as the government implements health care reforms, increases its influence over the prescribing of pharmaceuticals and looks to bring in potentially tighter restrictions on promotional activities.

The Russian government’s increasingly vigorous regulation of pharmaceutical pricing has put a squeeze on foreign pharmaceutical companies’ profits from their Russian operations, with adverse tax consequences.

Russian drugmaker Pharmstandard said on Thursday its net profit nearly doubled last year on higher sales of medicines, especially its popular Arbidol flu drug.

Shareholders in Russia's Protek pharmaceutical raised $ 400 million in an initial public offering on local exchanges.

BMI expects the Russian pharmaceutical market to rebound from a difficult year in 2009 and return to double-digit growth in 2010. After a 9.5% US dollar decline and 15.5% ruble increase in 2009, the market is expected to post a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.41% in US dollar terms for the period 2009-2014.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the Mid-Atlantic Russian Business Council is hosting the 2010 Russian-American Pharmaceutical Conference next week in Philadelphia.

Emerging markets such as China, Brazil, Russia, India and Venezuela are expected to grow by 14% to 17% per year, while mature markets will plug along at 3% to 6% annual growth.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russia needs to start a large-scale health-care reform in 2011 and pledged to allocate more than 300 billion rubles ($10 billon) in the next few years to improve health care in the country.

The Russian government will formulate a reform concept of the Russian health care system soon, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at an awarding ceremony of the medics, who were named the winners of the all-Russian contest “The Best Doctor of the Year” here on Monday.

Pharmacists in Murmansk received an unexpected visitor on Saturday when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was in the northern port city to discuss the fish industry, ordered his driver to stop so he could check on medicine prices.

Russian drug group OAO Protek Wednesday set the indicative price range for its initial public offering from $3.10 to $4.50 a share, adding that it expect to sell $400 worth of stock. Around half of the sum raised will go to existing shareholders.

Pharmstandard is about to purchase an 11.3-percent stake in the Latvian pharmaceutical concern Grindex, the Russian company indicated in a statement today.

The Slovak Academy of Sciences will certify the antiviral drug Triazavirin for its use in Europe. The unique drug has been developed by the scientists of the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Gerresheimer AG has set up a sales office in Moscow. The new representation centre will intensify the Group's business in pharmaceutical primary packaging and drug-delivery systems.

Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue.

The government began restricting markups for essential drugs Thursday in a change that will reduce profit margins on a large segment of the multibillion-dollar market.

Transcript of the beginning of the meeting.

Drugs distributor Protek plans to raise $400 million in an initial public offering in May or June, hoping to attract investors keen on stocks exposed to the pharmaceuticals sector.

Protek, a Russian drug wholesaler, may sell as much as 15 percent of its shares for $300 million in an initial public offering in May.

WHO’s 2010 Global Report on tuberculosis (TB) says that 28 percent of all new cases in Murmansk Region in 2008 were multidrug-resistant. That is the highest fraction recorded in a region world-wide.

The pharmaceuticals industry as a whole in Russia has continued to grow throughout the economic downturn, Nikola Milevic, general director of IMS-Health Russia confirmed at the Adam Smith CIS Pharmaceutical Forum in Moscow in February, calling it “one of the highest growth markets, where prices are up despite the dollar value decreasing.”

The Kaluga regional authorities and Berlin-Chemie, a member of the leading Italian pharmaceutical holding Menarini Group, agreed on the construction of a new pharmaceutical factory.

Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca may launch production in Russia as it turns to emerging markets for growth amid stalling Western sales.

The Swedish cosmetics company Oriflame is to invest €125-175m in the construction of its second plant in Russia.

Russian scientists from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine developed a molecular biosensor for detecting cancer on its early stages, as well as genetic anomalies of fetus during pregnancy.

There is a buzz stirring about a mushroom from Siberia, which was relatively unknown until Russian novelist Alexandr Solzhenitsyn brought it up in his 1968 novel Cancer Ward. In that novel, the protagonist was cured of his cancer mostly by using a Russian folk remedy, a tea brewed from the Chaga mushroom. Since then, there has been a good deal of curiosity and lab research done on this mushroom.

Russian men and women face far shorter life expectancies than people in developed countries - as much as 14 years shorter than their neighbors in Europe. Since 2003, Russian authorities, local institutions and international partners have worked together to address the social problems and institutional constraints contributing to Russia’s poor health profile, yielding significant results, particularly in fighting tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

The Russian government plans to increase its spending on innovation, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday at a meeting of the government commission for high technology and innovation.

On March 2, 2010 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting on measures to improve supervisory, regulatory and licensing policies, as well as government services in healthcare and social security.

The Supervisory Council of RUSNANO has approved the corporation’s participation in a project to widen production of measuring-analytical equipment for nanotechnology in material sciences, biology, and medicine.

Synergy Research Group (SynRG), a Russia-based CRO, presented the Russian version of SynRG Orange Paper 2009, the annual analytical report on the clinical trial market in Russia. The report contains hundreds of figures as well as dozens of tables and pictures covering various aspects of the Russian clinical trial market.

Oriola-KD Corporation has  acquired the remaining 25 per cent of the shares
in Foreti Oy, which owns the Moscow-based pharmaceutical retail company OOO
Vitim and the pharmaceutical wholesale company OOO Moron. After the acquisition
Oriola-KD owns 100 per cent of its Russian subsidiaries.

Parascript, LLC, the image analysis and pattern recognition solution provider, today announced the use of its AccuDetect computer aided detection (CAD) software by the Russian Center for Roentgeno - Radiology Research (RNCRR) in Moscow. RNCRR is Russia's largest, most recognized breast cancer oncology center.

The Russian pharma industry is emerging as one of the leading sectors in the healthcare industry, showing an unprecedented growth of around 21% to generate revenue of about US$ 22.2 Billion in 2009. This surge is primarily accredited to the state drug development incentives that have supported the industry to sustain its growth pace.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin during his meeting with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said Russian pharma firms were keen to increase their engagements with Indian companies including setting up joint ventures.

New polymer material, bioplastotan, developed by the young scientist Yekaterina Shishatskaya and her colleagues from the Institute of Biophysics at Krasnoyarsk, Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, is considered to be a real breakthrough in medical sciences.

The market of nanomedicine and nanomedicines is just taking shape in Russia, Director General of the Russian corporation of nanotechnologies (ROSNANO) Anatoly Chubais told a press briefing on Monday after the signing of an agreement with the Federal Bio-Medical Agency.

The Russian government has set new regulations to control the price of crucial medicines approving a list of 500 drugs. By April 1st manufacturers will have to register their maximum sale price.

Russia will develop the domestic pharmaceutical industry in order to decrease the country's dependency on foreign medicines, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.

The Health Ministry is conducting work with medicine producers, the minister said. At present, more than 400 enterprises have licenses to medicine production, but only 30 such enterprises meet the necessary quality standards, the minister admitted.

Net income at Gedeon Richter Nyrt., Hungary’s biggest drugmaker, beat analysts’ expectations on rising sales in Russia and the United States.

The necessity for a radical change in Russia's economic development paradigm has become clear in recent years. President Medvedev has responded by formulating principles of innovative economic development and outlining the industrial priorities of the state.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dismissed Nikolai Yurgel, head of the Federal Health and Social Development Inspection Service, from his post on Saturday because of a public disagreement with the government on new legislation to regulate the pharmaceutical market.

With more than 4,00,000 new cases of cancer in the country every year, doctors in Russia have urged people to keep themselves informed about the risks of cancer and prevent the disease at an early stage.

The Russian government has established new regulations to control the price of lifesaving and essential medicines. Manufacturers are required to register or reregister their maximum sale price by April 1, 2010 for each medicine on the official lists of lifesaving and essential medicines.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis is eyeing Russia as the next big opportunity in emerging markets, after placing a major bet on China, its chairman said.

Adam Smith Conferences' are pleased to announce that the preparations are going ahead full steam for the 1st international CIS Pharmaceutical Forum, will take place on the 18th and 19th February 2010 at the Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel in Moscow.

President Dmitry Medvedev will for the first time visit Taganrog on the Sea of Azov on Friday to mark the 150th birth anniversary of outstanding Russian playwright Anton Checkov in his home town.

The Russian parliament's plans to sharply increase taxes on tobacco would create a boom in illegal trade in cigarettes and ultimately harm public health, according to the Finance Ministry.

A proposed new bill on sales of pharmaceutical products is expected to put domestic drug producers on equal footing with their foreign competitors, Healthcare and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova told reporters Tuesday.

The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the Russian corporation Rosnanotech intend to set up a joint venture to produce membranous water purification units using polymeric fibers.

About 80 percent of Russia's meds are imported, but he government wants that to be more like 50 percent.

A project to produce a number of pharmaceuticals— anti-inflammatory drugs, diuretics, and statins in phospholipid capsules with extremely small particles (less than 30 nm) recently won approval from the Supervisory Council of RUSNANO. The total budget for the project is 831 million rubles. RUSNANO will invest 341 million rubles.

Russia's Health Minister has called for a reduction of abortions in the country as a way of improving its meagre population growth.

April 1, 2010, will see the end of chaotic prices for drugs in Russia as the government pledges to regulate them, making sure prices are the same everywhere.

It would take new foreign medications an additional five to seven years to reach the Russian market if the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, passes a revised medication-sales bill stipulating a new medication-registration procedure which is much longer than the current 18-to-24-month process.

President Victor Yushchenko took part in a meeting of the National Council on Healthcare.

Russia's government has launched a crusade against alcohol abuse, describing it as a "national disaster" and aiming to halve consumption by 2020 and root out illegal production and sales.

Shares in Russian drugmaker Pharmstandard  recovered after falling 4 percent as the company and analysts said the negative impact of a $117 million state tender loss was limited.

Bio-skin – a new alternative for the treatment of damaged skin – was recently introduced by a group of Russian scientists. The thin material could help heal and restore human skin and may prove to be a breakthrough.

Russia's top sanitary official said the country should prepare for a second stage of swine flu epidemic, which could break out in spring.

The head of the Russian nanotechnology corporation expressed confidence on Wednesday that the country could sell 900 billion rubles ($29 bln) worth of products by 2015.

Russian scientists successfully sequenced a human genome, and it took them as little as six months. This is eighth full sequenced human genome in the world.

The Russian Healthcare Development Program is likely to cause major structural changes in the Russian pharmaceutical market and create new opportunities for foreign investors. The main aim of the government-introduced program is to ameliorate the quality and availability of healthcare, thereby improving overall social well-being.

Yegor Gaidar, architect of the tumultuous reforms that helped cement Russia's post-Soviet transition but drove millions into poverty, died on Wednesday. He was 53.

In 2008, pharma market in E7 countries (Brazil, Russia, China, India, Turkey, Mexico and Indonesia) was estimated at around US$ 96 Billion, and it is expected that high growth in these markets will help these countries increase their share in global pharma market.

Russian biotechnology company Human Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) has sold 20% of its shares in an initial public offering (IPO), raising 143.5 million rubles, the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX) said Thursday.

Visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev affirmed that the two countries were keen on enhancing mutual cooperation in IT, communication, hydro-carbon, oil and gas and pharmaceutical sectors.

President Dmitry Medvedev’s speech of November 12, 2009, has attracted a lot of interest. He spoke out for a “modernization” drive of the Russian economy.

Russia and other countries are marking International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Thursday. The aim of this Day is to attract attention to problems of people with disabilities, protection of their dignity, rights and well-being, the RF Ministry of Health and Social Development said in a statement.

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, forecasts that the hepatitis C virus drug market in Russia will grow nine percent annually over the 2008 - 2013 study period, reaching $327 million by 2013.

GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company, and a leading Russian medical imaging manufacturer Medical Technologies Limited (MTL), on November 26 announced a strategic partnership to manufacture diagnostic imaging products in Russia, starting with GE Healthcare’s CT BrightSpeed Elite system, in line with GE’s healthymagination strategy. The partnership will see Russia’s first locally manufactured advanced 16-slice computed tomography (CT).

French drugmaker Sanofi Aventis said Friday it will participate in a program that is intended to encourage drug innovation in Russia.

Russian Ministry of Education developed a project called “Schoolchild’s health passport”, which will contain information about child’s health and physiology, as well as about his family, academic progress and personal achievements.

Over 1% of Russian residents are HIV-positive, according to a joint report by the UN Program on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization.

The Federal Service on Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development of the Russian Federation (alias RosZdravNadzor, RZN) approved 153 new clinical trials of all types including local and bioequivalence studies during the third quarter of 2009; demonstrating a 10% decrease comparing to the last year figure.

The quality and affordability of medicines is one of the topics that worry people. A restriction on allowing inferior drugs to enter the market should be enforced, high standards for production must be set, the share of domestically produced medicines should be expanded, which ultimately will help cut their price. People should not overpay for imported drugs whose retail price in Russia is sometimes multiples of what they cost in other countries. It is speculation pure and simple. All these tasks have been included in the Strategy of the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry and are in the draft law on medicines. We will shortly introduce this bill at the State Duma. I urge you to support this law.

The total number of officially confirmed swine flu cases has exceeded 525,000 worldwide, with about 6,750 fatalities, the World Health Organization reported on Friday.

Private Russian group Pharmasynthez ZAO is to fund development of six of AIM-quoted Lipoxen’s drug and vaccine candidates.

A Russian humanitarian cargo of Arbidol antiviral medicines will be delivered to Ukraine on Tuesday, Nov. 17, the Russian Health and Social Development Ministry has reported.

In his annual state of the nation speech Thursday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev painted his vision for the country's future, saying that "modernization" was the key to its "very survival."

The Russian Health and Social Development Ministry did not expect such a large demand for flu masks, Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Tuesday.

Prices on medicine to prevent or cure flu have risen all over Russia, but most in Murmansk Oblast, where they went up nearly 40 percent, a control by the Federal Service for the Supervision of Public Health and Social Development shows,

The 19th International Seminar on Global Clinical Trial Management and Temperature-Controlled Logistics in Berlin was successfully held on October 30, 2009. Its organizer World Courier stands as the industry front-runner in the transportation of Clinical samples, Investigational drugs and Clinical trial supplies.

Russia’s first university clinic – Moscow State University’s medical centre – will open in 2010, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said on Saturday.

Russia's health minister warned the media against spreading panic over a swine and seasonal flu outbreak and said the situation was under control.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Russia Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q4 2009" report to their offering.

The death toll of A/H1N1 flu in Russia has climbed to 10, said the country's consumer rights watchdog on Tuesday.

All education establishments in Ukraine's capital were closed on Monday until further notice due to a flu epidemic that has killed 53 people, according to the ex-Soviet state's Health Ministry.

The two-day Eastern Europe and Central Asia Aids Conference (EECAAC) - the third of its kind - is taking place in Moscow.

Russian medics from St. Petersburg developed a vaccine, which fights HIV-1 subtype A virus, the most common cause for AIDS in Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union, and reported about it during the 18 International Conference “AIDS, cancer and public health”.

There are currently around 300,000 people living with AIDS in Russia, the country's top sanitary official said.

Doctors have argued whether switching to DST and back is harmful to people’s health, with some saying the switch deteriorates the condition of people with cardiovascular diseases and unstable psyche, and others denying that any serious harm could be inflicted.

In the chemical industry, the prices rose 7.2 percent for pharmaceutical products, 6.4 percent for other main organic chemicals and 6.3 percent for synthetic rubber.

The number of people diagnosed with swine flu in Russia has risen to 956, a deputy health minister said on Wednesday.

Belmedpreparaty (Republic of Belarus) starts exporting drugs to Syria and Vietnam, BelTA learnt from Tatiana Trukhacheva, Deputy Director- General of the company.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has promised to ban pharmaceutical makers from sending representatives to doctors’ offices, a practice they spend up to 50 percent of their revenue on and one of the last open channels for companies to promote prescription drugs.

Two Russian-produced swine flu vaccines have undergone the first stage of clinical trials and are to be registered by Russia's health watchdog Roszdravnadzor.

Russia is one of the world's largest per-capita consumers of alcohol. The average Russian drinks 18 liters of alcohol a year. That is more than twice the maximum amount considered healthy by the World Health Organization.

Russia has officially registered two domestic vaccines against swine flu, said the Russian federal service for oversight in health care and social development (Roszdravnadzor).

Global pharmaceutical market value is expected to expand to US$975bn by 2013. Pharmerging markets in aggregate sustain strong growth. Despite economic conditions significantly affecting some markets – notably Russia, Turkey, South Korea and Mexico – the seven pharmerging countries are expected in aggregate to grow by 12 - 14% in 2010, and 13 - 16%over the next five years.

Here is Vladimir Putin's opening address.

Tennis star and PSI (Population Services International) Ambassador Anna Kournikova joined the government of Russia today calling for a coordinated response to the serious health issues facing Russian youth.

Ukraine is a dismal spot for multinational pharmaceutical companies operating in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – its economic crisis feeding and exacerbated by continued political deadlock in Kyiv ahead of January 2010’s presidential polls. The result is the lowest forecast five-year growth rate among CIS countries.

A stem cell technology company hopes to raise as much as 165 million rubles ($5.53 million) in an initial public offering in Moscow, becoming the first Russian company to launch an IPO this year.

Faced with a depressed global economy and lower projected industry growth rates throughout 2010, Europe’s leading pharmaceutical practitioners will meet in Berlin  in October at World Courier’s 19th International Seminar on Global Clinical Trial Management & Temperature-Controlled Logistics to identify more cost-effective clinical trial practices and investigate opportunities in emerging markets.

At the close of the 20th century, the lack of donor blood and the safety of blood medication became one of the most critical problems in the area of health protection on a global scale.

The number of people diagnosed with swine flu in Russia has risen to 570, Russia's top sanitary official said on Monday.

World-famous Russian surgeon.

An expert urged on Wednesday a fourfold increase in pharmaceutical supplies to Russians to extend life expectancy in the country to 75 from 68 years.

RIA Novosti interviews TAMARA LOBOVA, Ph.D. (Medicine), Academic Secretary of the North-West Department of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.

The 21st international honey festival is already in full swing at Tsaritsyno. This is the third time the market has been held here - it used to be at Kolomenskoye - and the venue is working out well. Just five minutes on foot from Tsaritsyno metro station, the festival grounds are right outside the main gate to the old imperial park which means visitors can also stroll past the musical fountains when they come to buy their honey.

World Courier will host its 19th International Seminar on Global Clinical Trial Management and Temperature-Controlled Logistics in Berlin (Germany) on October 30, 2009.

Late last week Swiss drugmaker Solvay confirmed its plan to invest up to $75m (?51m) to build a new manufacturing plant in Yaroslavl, Russia.

Russian drugs retailer Pharmacy Chain 36.6 on Thursday reported a second-quarter underlying net loss of 155.5 million roubles ($5.18 million), marking an improvement on its year-ago performance.

A new research and pharmaceutical company Academpharm has been set up using premises of the Pharmacology and Biochemistry Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Director of the Institute Dmitry Romanovsky told BelTA.

Nycomed, the private-owned Swiss drug maker, said on Tuesday it would invest between 65 million and 75 million euros ($95 million and $110 million) over the next five years in the construction of a production plant in Russia.

Russia's health authorities Monday vehemently denied that the country had recorded its first fatality from the A(H1N1) virus, contradicting a top doctor's claim that a woman had recently died of swine flu.

A doctor recently arrived from Bulgaria died after contracting swine flu, becoming Russia's first fatality from the A(H1N1) virus, a Russian medical sciences' academy official said on Sunday.

ChemDiv Inc. of San Diego, and iDialog (Intellektualniy Dialog) of Yaroslavl, Russia, announced today the successful completion of a pre-clinical development and the subsequent nomination of ID-12 as lead clinical development candidate for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. This novel small molecule orally-bioavailable inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) blocks early stage of viral infection.

Russia will adjust its laws to make Western investments easier in strategic sectors but it wants to see bigger flows to machine building and high tech sectors rather than oil or gas.

Russia's president has begun the toughest anti-alcohol campaign since the collapse of the Soviet Union in an attempt to halt a population decline.

On Septrember 10, 2009 Contract Research Organization Synergy Research Group (SynRG) announced company’s business development center of gravity move to the USA: new Director of Business Development will be located in North Kingstown, RI. According to company’s top management, this action will allow to attract potential sponsors – small and mid-sized American pharmaceutical and bio-technology companies, for whom issues of time reduction for new drug launch are essential in the current economic situation.

The St. Petersburg Scientific Flu Institute on Thursday began testing a vaccine against H1N1 flu that was developed in St. Petersburg.

An average price of imported medicines, which have analogs in Russia, grew to 2,140 rubles in the first half of this year, as compared to 1,395 rubles the year ago, deputy head of the Federal Health and Social Development Supervisory Service Yelena Telnova said at the Tuesday roundtable of the Russian Pharmaceutical Association.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has called for strategy on the state anti-drug policy and a concrete plan for its realization.

Investors will be looking for healthy returns when 25 per cent of Russia's Human Stem-Cell Institute (ISKCh) goes up for grabs in the country's first post-crisis IPO.

Russian drug maker Pharmstandard  said on Tuesday its first-half net profit grew 47 percent to 2.6 billion roubles ($82 million) after sales were boosted by a government tender.

Clinical tests of a Russian A/H1N1 flu vaccine will start a week from now, head of the World Health Organisation Flu Research Institute in St Petersburg, Oleg Kiselyov said.

Russia’s pharmaceutical industry needs modernisation, but even the President admits it’s a serious challenge needing private capital, while visiting a new research center.

CyGene Laboratories Inc. (Pink Sheets:CYGE)  announced that its CEO, Martin Munzer, has been invited to speak at a Russian Academy of Sciences diagnostics symposium in Vladivostok on September 8.

Synergy Research Group (SynRG), a Russia-based CRO, presented the English version of SynRG Orange Paper Q2 2009, a regular analytical report on the clinical trial market in Russia.

A payment dispute between Russian pharmacy chain 36.6 and drugs distributor Protek heated up on Tuesday when Protek said it was suing for the bankruptcy of 36.6's drug making unit Veropharm.

In 2008 the OTC product market in Central and Eastern Europe developed by around 26%, to ?9.2bn. In 2009 this market in the region will grow by around 8%, according to a recently released report “OTC market in Central and Eastern Europe 2009. Comparative analysis and development forecasts for 2009-2011” from PMR, a research and consulting company.

Russia will produce 40 million doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccine by the end of this year, Chief Public Health Official Gennady Onishchenko said.

The Flu Research Institute has handed over experimental vaccines from the H1N1 virus to companies for production of pilot batches, head of the National Flu Centre of the WHO in St Petersburg, Oleg Kiselev, said.

The Prosecutor General's Office has issued a warning to pharmaceutical distributors Protek, Biotek, and SIA International, urging them not to exceed price caps.

Russia’s Trade Ministry has proposed that grocers and supermarkets could start selling non-prescription medicines, with experts saying the new regulations may come to the rescue of troubled pharmacy chains.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Russia Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q3 2009" report to their offering.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, the President said that past measures taken by the authorities to reduce alcohol consumption in Russia have not had any real effect and the problem remains serious. Alcoholism has reached the proportions of a national disaster, Mr Medvedev said.

The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service has opened an investigation into alleged overpricing by pharmacies in 22 Russian regions, saying some drug store chains increased prices by more than the law allows in the first six months of the year.

A Moscow court sentenced on Wednesday a former top health insurance official to seven years in jail and a million rubles (about $31,000) fine on corruption charges.

Russia is grappling with a major public health crisis in which residents are essentially drinking and smoking themselves to death, according to the country’s public health officials.

Russia imported $74.64 billion worth of goods from non-CIS countries in January-July 2009, down 42.2% from the first seven months of 2007, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) said in a statement.

Around 162,380 confirmed cases of swine flu were reported in 168 countries and overseas territories. The WHO report says that all seven continents are affected by the pandemic.

A newly formed partnership that included participants from Eli Lilly and Co. and Purdue Research Park-based Chao Center provided training to the Russian agency Roszdravnadzor that is equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

According to official data, in the first half of 2009, the prices of medicines rose by 18.3%, much more than the prices for other goods and services. Moreover, in the regions, the price of one and the same drug can vary by as much as two to three times. All this indicates a lack of order here.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia will probe allegedly excessive drug prices set by pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacy chains, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office told ITAR-TASS Thursday.

OAO Pharmacy Chain 36.6’s Russian retail stores are “practically worth nothing” and the company’s only valuable asset is drugmaker OAO Veropharm, according to Otkritie Financial Corp. analyst Victor Dima.

St Petersburg: Specialists plan to begin clinical testing of a new vaccine from the A(H1N1) flu by August 20, Oleg Kiselev, Head, National Flu Centre of the World health Organisation has said.

Swiss pharmaceutical company Nycomed is already a big player in the Russian drug market, and looks set to consolidate that position with a 60 million euro investment in a new manufacturing facility.

President Dmitry Medvedev is chairing a meeting of the governmental commission on modernisation and technical development of the Russian economy at the federal Research Institute of Experimental Physics in Sarov.

Russian drug maker Pharmstandard said on Tuesday first-half sales rose 62 percent to 10.1 billion roubles ($318 million) after it won a government tender to supply cancer drugs.

Russia has officially confirmed nine A/H1N1 flu cases, chief sanitary inspector Gennady Onishchenko said Monday.

The global prescription drugs market is currently witnessing, and would further witness, a shift in terms of market growth from matured markets towards emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Korea, Mexico and Turkey.

President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that Russia needs to introduce measures to fight widespread alcoholism and other addictions.

The struggle with alcohol addiction and smoking should be given priority in the struggle for the health of the nation, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan.

Stastically, the average life expectancy for a Russian male is just 58.8 years, while Russian women live on average for 72.1 years. European men, in comparison, live for an average 75.1 years, while women in Europe live for 80.9 years.

If, when entering a Russian home or even an office, you are hit by the strong odor of raw garlic, it’s not necessarily because someone is cooking or eating garlic.

Alzheimer's disease, the plague of human civilization, appears to have strong connection with sense of smell. Russian scientists found out that parosmia or olfaction disorder can be the first sign of this terminal disease. Researchers from the Institute of Cell Biophysics developed a model, which allows early diagnostics and prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

There are several private medical clinics and hospitals in St.Petersburg offering Western-standard services, treatment and facilities aimed mainly at foreigners. They are managed or funded by foreigners and some provide foreign doctors.

The first-ever BRIC Economic Summit was held last week in Yekaterinburg, Russia, further signaling the importance of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, collectively known as the BRIC countries, in the current and future direction of the global economy.

Meanwhile, a Russian government official told on Thursday that Russia is not overly concerned with the new pandemic.

A unique operation has been carried out in Moscow, in Bakulev’s Scientific Center of Cardiovascular Surgery, considered the number one heart center in the world, to treat a life threatening heart rhythm disorder.

So-called 'pharmerging' markets will contribute over half of the growth of the global pharmaceutical market this year, according to market analysts.

The infant mortality rate is sharply on the decline in Russia. The infant mortality rate has reduced by 23% for the first quarter of 2009 as compared with the same period in 2008.

An A/H1N1 flu vaccine will be developed by September by the Flu Institute of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Mikhail Yeropkin, head of the Institute's flu evolutionary mutation laboratory.

The peak of the flu A/H1N1 incidence rate has passed, the situation in Russia is being kept under constant control, First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said on Wednesday.

Russian drug maker Veropharm's profits and sales fell in the first quarter as it suspended sales to some cash-strapped distributors and as its own money troubles put some imported materials out of reach.

A 28-year-old man who works at a New York university was recuperating in a Moscow hospital on Sunday after being confirmed as Russia's first case of the A/H1N1 influenza virus, also known as the swine flu.

An increasing number of Russian companies are looking to hire managers, especially in the pharmaceutical industry.

"The physiological qualities of this virus are being examined, a vaccine against the flu virus is being developed," said Olga Borzova, chairwoman of the lower chamber's Health Care Committee.

Increasing investments from foreign players attracted by the high quality and cost efficient research is anticipated to drive the Russian clinical trials market over the coming years.  

In an interview to the Rossiya TV channel President Dmitry Medvedev spoke about the state of healthcare in Russia and its problems.

As Russia's economy slows painfully over the course of 2009 and the devalued rouble makes imports more costly, the pharmaceutical market will experience a double-digit US dollar loss, following eight straight years of robust growth. There is disagreement as to how much the Russian economy will shrink in 2009. BMI believes it will, by 4.0%, while official forecasts see a 2.2% fall.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the decree on strategy of national security of the Russian Federation until 2020, the Kremlin press service reported.

Many diseases of human vision system lead to death of special photoreception cells, responsible for darkness and color vision. Retinoid derivatives are known to help patients with eye malfunctions; however, retinoids are almost non-soluble in water. Russian scientists claim they’ve solved the problem.

According to the Grindeks's report to the Riga Stock Exchange: the joint-stock pharmaceutical company Grindeks earned LVL 1.2 million in profit in the first three months of the year, which is by 64.7% less when compared to the first three months of 2008.

The new type of flu, referred to as "swine flu" for the lay public, is no more dangerous for human health than any other similar virus.

Anti-flu agent “Triazavirin”, developed in Russia, showed its efficiency against A (H1N1) influenza strain, previously known as swine influenza.

The Russian pharmaceutical market has continued to post strong growth figures in Rouble terms, despite the economic downturn, as the sector responds to the crisis with new approaches.

Russian drug maker Pharmstandard said on Tuesday its 2008 net profit rose by 7 percent to 3.5 billion roubles ($105 million) on the back of growing sales.

The Russian president instructed on Monday regional authorities to take urgent action to prevent the spread of swine flu in Russia, the Kremlin press service said.

Rospotrebnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Consumers Protection) takes adequate measures in connection with the outbreak of the swine flu in Mexico and the US.

Russian drug maker Veropharm reported on Wednesday a 33 percent growth in 2008 net profit to $36.9 million helped by robust sales.

Replacing worn-out parts of your body could soon be as easy as changing broken car parts. Some people pay thousands of dollars to bank their stem cells, dreaming to stay healthy forever.

6th annual conference dedicated to the pharmaceutical markets in Russia and CIS will be held on 17-18 Sep 2009 in Moscow, Russia.

Russia plans to boost spending and enact legislation to ease the plight of 13 million disabled people, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.

Two leading drug quality organizations in Russia and USA announced plans to work together on standards-related activities for drugs and their ingredients. These include efforts to reduce the availability of counterfeit and substandard medicines.

"Today, too we cannot be wholly satisfied with the quality of our market and social institutions. But one thing is certain: The crisis has shown us that these institutions are functioning. They remain stable, displaying their ability to resist destructive trends. Apart from confidence in our abilities, it is precisely this circumstance that allows us to expect success, even to a greater extent than the financial resources we have accumulated."

Belarus ranks third in terms of drugs production among the CIS states. The Russian Federation leads the rating, followed by Ukraine, said Deputy Health Minister Valery Shevchuk at the international symposium “Pharmaceutical markets of Post-Soviet countries. Common Problems – Joint Solutions.”

The Russian pharmaceutical market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 14% by 2012 in the backdrop of rising population of elders and government’s initiatives to reform healthcare system.

The fund is taking part in a tender for the sale of Russian drug maker Veropharm (VFRM.MM), part of pharmacy chain 36.6 (APTK.MM).

Organ transplant operations remain a very important problem for Russia to deal with. The problem is not only about medical complications of such operations. It is also about the attitude of the general public to the issue.

The number of Russia's officially registered unemployed currently amounts to 2.132 million people, Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova said during a ministry board meeting.

The CEO of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies, Anatoly Chubais, has approved by the Corporation’s main tasks for the year of 2009.  

The Russian government has announced plans to order regional governments to minimize wholesale and retail mark-ups for drugs, as it looks to curb price rises across the country.

A consultation on the progress, gaps and next steps towards achieving universal access to HIV prevention in the Russian Federation took place in Moscow on 25-26 February.

Some doctors act in the interest of pharmaceutical companies, not patients.

Russia may cap domestic prices for essential pharmaceuticals to minimise the impact of the global economic crisis on its population, but for now will not control food prices, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said on Tuesday.

The Russian authorities have announced the launch of new electronic ‘health passports’, which will be issued to those registered as living and working in Russia. The passports will begin being issued this year and will be given to citizens who have undergone a number of standard medical examinations.

The Russian Federal Financial Markets Service has registered the issue and prospectus for Pharmacy Chain 36.6's common registered non-documented shares, the regulator's press office reported today.

Up to 2.5 million Russians including 140,000 minors are addicted to illegal drugs, the head of the Federal Drug Control Service said on Tuesday.

Health officials have ordered Russians to adopt a back-to-basics diet for the economic crisis to stop their weight ballooning after a decade of indulgence during the boom years.

Wyeth has won approval to sell its top-selling pneumococcal vaccine Prevenar in Russia and expects to launch the product there later this year, the U.S. drugmaker said on Monday.

The government will lose nearly half of its planned revenues this year but will still increase spending by about $14 billion to support the economy and people's incomes, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Wednesday.

The number of Russians set to lose their jobs amid the global financial crisis has reached half a million, jumping tenfold in less than four months, according to data released by the Health and Social Development Ministry.

The Russian nanotech business group RUSNANO and regulators have signed an agreement to cooperate on nanotechnology health and safety issues.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia has entered a new and more dangerous phase not only because the infections are spreading not just among intravenous drug users but throughout the entire population and because the government has not adopted some of the more aggressive treatment strategies now being used in many Western countries.

Tobacco epidemic carried away 100 million human lives in the 20th century and today smoking causes the premature death of 5.4 million people.

The total number of unemployed people in Russia grew to 6.1 million in January, up 5.2% on December, while only 1.7 million were officially registered as jobless, the state statistics body said on Thursday.

The deepening financial crisis in eastern Europe sent stocks and currencies sinking across the continent Tuesday, as fears escalated that troubles in former communist countries could wallop western Europe's already-stressed banking system.

Russia's pharmaceutical market will grow by 2 or 3 percent from $16bn in 2008 to some $16.5bn this year in dollar terms, an executive from the market research center told journalists today. Meanwhile, the ruble-denominated market volume may climb 20 to 25 percent in 2009.

The Moscow Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, told the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov that Bulgaria needed to significantly improve its exports to the Russian capital in order to improve the trade balance with the Russia.

On February 04, 2009 Synergy Research Group (SynRG), a Russia-based CRO, presented the English version of SynRG Orange Paper Year 2008, a regular analytical report on the clinical trial market in Russia.

In addition to civil passport Russian laborers will get health passport. Olga Krivonos, Chief Executive of Ministry of Public Health and Social Development reported about it at the 2nd annual forum ‘the Movement against cancer’.

Russia and Cuba can beneficially develop cooperation in biotechnologies, pharmaceutics, tourism and communications. Sechin said Cuba and Russia planned to set up a joint pharmaceutical company to develop and produce cancer and other medicines.

Anatoly Chubais, general director of Russia's state nanotechnology corporation, says his company's investment plans are not expected to change because of the global financial crisis. He explained to Business RT the situation has actually made some conditions more favourable.

In their study, Vladimir Skljarevski, MD, Moscow Medical Academy, Moscow, Russia, and colleagues enrolled 256 patients with OA of the knee who had pain for at least 14 days of each month for 3 months and a mean 24-hour average pain score of at least 4.

Hungarian drug maker Egis  will likely lower its sales targets for Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet nations as the global economic crisis takes a toll on sales, its chief financial officer said.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Kazakhstan Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q4 2008" report to their offering.

The global pharmaceutical market is expected to grow 4.5–5.5% in 2009, a pace similar to 2008, according to a forecast by the National Association of Pharmaceutical Representatives (NAPRx). The forecast predicts global pharmaceutical sales to surpass $820 billion (624.1 billion euro) in 2009, reflecting sustained double-digit growth in key emerging countries tempered by a slower pace in more established markets because of patent expiries, fewer new product launches and a tighter economy.

The Buteyko breathing technique is one of the best-known breathing methods for asthma, although people also use other techniques such as yoga breathing. The Buteyko method is named after its founder, Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko, a Russian doctor who developed the technique more than 50 years ago.

The labor market, which in the middle of 2008 was so hungry for qualified staff, may now see an excess of work force in certain industries and for some jobs.

Safety of cell therapy is very important for medicine, and researchers from Russia faced a great challenge – they decided to find out whether stem cells, a common tool of genetic engineering and basics of cell therapy, were genetically stable. Well, stem cells showed quite high level of genetic variability, thus making results of cell therapy ambiguous.

A sharp fall in birthrates, combined with increasing poor health, has prompted a demographic collapse which the United Nations predicts could reduce the population from 146 million today to just 80 million by 2050 - a fall in numbers which could also spell social and economic disaster.

Mikhail Paltsev, Rector of the Sechenov Medical Academy, has been elected a delegate to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Local Council, which is to meet on January 27 to elect a new Patriarch.

The number of cancer cases and deaths from cancer are expected to increase one percent each year. Experts are predicting the largest increases will be in China, Russia, and India.

President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday opened his video blog up for comments from visitors, promising to read the monitored remarks "with great interest."

China is planning to build a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital in Russia, the first of its kind abroad, and launch outlets in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia this year.

Russian health and drugstore chain Pharmacy 36.6 said on Sunday its shareholders had approved an issue of 85.5 million new shares that could help it refinance debts and settle accounts with suppliers.

Kazakhstan’s pharmaceutical market has emerged as one of the more promising prospects within the Emerging Europe region. In the BMI Business Environment Ranking matrix for Q408, Kazakhstan moved up from 15 (out of 17 markets surveyed in the region) to joint 11th position, alongside the more established market of Slovakia.

The pharmacy chain 36,6 has launched a pilot project – discount pharmacy – aimed at Western Siberia, which so far includes two stores in Novosibirsk and Omsk.

Almost eight million people around the world will become victims of cancer this year, and a World Health Organisation report says by 2010 it will be the world's top killer, claiming more lives than AIDS and heart disease. It is already the second leading cause of death in Russia.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reaffirmed the government's pledge to honor all social commitments next year and in the medium-term perspective, despite the ongoing global financial crisis.

A cold and flu epidemic in Russia may start in November because of early frosts, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) National Flu Center Academician Oleg Kiselyov told Itar-Tass.

Iteca Caspian LLC, part of the ITE Group, has kicked off the 14th Azerbaijan International Healthcare Exhibition (BİHE-2008), the 3rd Stomatology Exhibition and the 2nd Beauty and Aesthetic Medicine Exhibition in Baku.

The trial population census will be launched in October in Russia, while the full-fledged census is slated for 2010. This year’s effort will extend to three regions of Russia. The figures of last 2002 census require updating, as the bureaucrats need new data to come up with adequate solutions.

The Russian government is supporting the development of the country's thriving pharmaceutical market. As foreign capital is raised to meet domestic demand for medicines, co-operation is helping new factories open doors.

RNCOS has recently added a new Market Research Report titled, “Russian Pharma Sector Analysis” to its report gallery. The report provides an extensive research and objective analysis on the growing demand of pharmaceuticals in Russia and presents a clear picture of the country’s healthcare and pharmaceutical market.

Russians tend to fall ill much more often than Europeans and are 30 percent more likely to get sick than Europeans.

Russian drug maker Pharmstandard said on Wednesday its net profit rose around 83 percent to 1.76 billion roubles ($71.60 million), helped by growing sales and cost control.

Russia's pharmaceutical market is expected to grow by a third this year, ranking the country in the world's top ten pharmaceutical markets.

Inventive medical treatments are just the tip of the iceberg of the health care crisis facing Russia. The country ranks a lowly 130th in terms of the effectiveness of its health care system and 127th in terms of its population's health, according to the World Health Organization.

Russia's birth rate is expected to rise 5.5 percent to 1.7m children in 2008 compared to the previous year, head of the analytical and forecasting department of the Health and Social Development Ministry Vitaly Kolbanov told journalists today.

Russian health and drugstore chain Pharmacy 36.6 posted a 46 percent year-on-year rise in revenues for the first half of 2008 to $563.8 million.

Sixty years ago, genetics, a young and promising branch of biology, was crushed. This was a disgraceful episode in the history of Soviet science, and the state in general.

A drug to treat alcoholism, manufactured by Alkermes Inc. has received marketing approval in Russia, the Cambridge-based company said yesterday.

The Russian-CIS pharmaceutical market is exploding. PriceWaterhouseCooper records suggest that the Russian Pharmaceutical market is growing by over 1/3 every year. This growth creates new challenges. How do you make your Sales Force more effective and not just larger to ensure long-term success? The Sales Force Effectiveness Summit, October 7-8, Moscow, addresses these issues head-on and presents best practices in meeting these challenges.

Pharmstandard's sales grew 40 percent, from RUB 4.426bn (approx. USD 191m) in the first half of 2007 to RUB 6.199bn (approx. USD 267m) in January-June 2008, the Russian pharmaceutical company said in a statement on Wednesday.

A nearly forgotten Russian-made drug, formulated to combat hay fever, helps improve cognitive abilities in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of a year-long trial.

Russian pharmaceutical company Protek said on Tuesday it would announce a new partner within months after failing to tie up with Germany's Celesio.

A new cancer patient advocacy group that held its founding conference in St. Petersburg last month has launched a campaign against the restricted access to effective and innovative cancer treatment available in Russia.

Russian drug maker Veropharm said on Thursday its first-quarter net profit rose 15 percent to $6.3 million on the back of higher sales volumes.

Dear readers and colleagues! Starting from this month on, you have a unique opportunity to read digest of “Remedium” journal in English!

The Russian government approved Monday the major points of the federal budget for 2009-2011, a deputy finance minister said.

The Russian government intends to launch a major reform in healthcare by 2010, planning to bolster both public health and the health of the national pharmaceuticals industry with the introduction of mandatory medicine insurance for prescription medicines.

iSoft has won a contract for its LabCentre laboratory information system with Gemotest, a Moscow-based private laboratory group as the company continues its expansion in Russia.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plans to bolster both public health and the health of the national pharmaceuticals industry with the introduction of mandatory medicine insurance to pay for prescription medicines as part of mandatory medical insurance.

Purchases of vaccines should be added to the list of state security matters and the authorities should update requirements to vaccine suppliers, Public Health and Social Welfare Minister Tatiana Golikova said Thursday,

Russia has witnessed a drop in generating new business activity on the clinical trials scene over the past year, but has been increasing its own activity in this field.

First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov's comments to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum were the latest sign that Russians are no longer content just to smugly bask in the country's recent oil-fueled economic resurgence and are ready face up to problems.

Ukraine's fast-growing healthcare and pharmaceuticals market (20%+ growth in 2006-2007) took center stage at the "21st Century Pharmaceutical Production and Health Care Research & Delivery in the Commonwealth of Independent States" symposium on May 28, 2008.

The fourth meeting of the health minister of the Economic Corporation Organization (ECO) of Eurasia member states – Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will be held Bishkek on 3 to 4 June.

As of August 1, 2008, the average increase of labour pension in Russia will amount to 448 roubles, the economic news agency PRIME-TASS reports with reference to the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development.

For the first time ever, Russia will host an International Congress on Cancer Surgery that opened on Wednesday in the southern city of Krasnodar.

Scientific ties between Russia and the European Union look set to become much tighter in the years to come, according to a joint statement of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council and Research, which met for the first time on 26 May.

Pharm-Olam International Ltd. (POI) and MB Quest (MBQ), a member of the POI Group, announce the opening of a third Russian office in St. Petersburg. POI is a multi-national full service CRO to pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Teva VP international Chaim Hurvitz: It important to us that we set up a Russian R&D center.

Russian pharmaceutical company OJSC Pharmstandard said first quarter sales rose 55 percent over the previous year to $136 million.

As prime minister, Putin said he plans to take advantage of Russia’s wealth to improve transportation, health care and education, to promote agriculture and scientific research.

President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on social security for disabled veterans, the Kremlin press service reported on Tuesday. The document provides that over 11,000 people will receive a free car or a one time payment of 100,000 rubles in 2008-2009.

Having a cigarette with your morning coffee may soon become a forbidden pleasure at many of Moscow's restaurants and cafes following a recent decision by the State Duma to consider a bill cracking down on smoking in public places.

Russia will not give up free medical care, President Elect Dmitry Medvedev stated at a meeting with journalists. Every country has its own model, Medvedev noted, adding “We have to develop our model, not at the expense of the quality of healthcare and without giving up free medical aid.”

Governor Valentina Matviyenko has sought the support of Russia’s Health and Social Development Ministry, asking the officials to directly intervene and resolve the problem before the situation becomes critical.

Pharmaceutical services company i3 announced today that it has acquired the Russian clinical research organization (CRO) Lege Artis, strengthening its business in the global clinical trials market.

As he opened a conference in the Kremlin devoted to health service and social development issues on Wednesday, Medvedev said “there are a number of old-time problems, in particular, the gaps between regions.”

Russian pharmaceutical company OJSC Pharmstandard said Russian Federal Commission of Securities Markets (FCSM) has granted permission for additional 1.89 million shares, or around 5 percent of the company, to float outside of Russian Federation.

The five major European markets -- France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain -- saw drug sales grow by 4.8 percent to $140 billion, while Russia and Turkey experienced the largest growth rate among other European markets.

Russia's lower house of parliament ratified on Friday a global convention against smoking, which the World Health Organization says kills 5 million people across the world annually.

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has authorized the distribution of the drug that was created by US scientists, but it was not authorized in the USA.

Each year on April 7, the world celebrates World Health Day, the birthday of the World Health Organization (WHO). This is a good occasion to sum up the results.

The Directors of Solagran Limited are pleased to announce the formal opening of the SibEX production facility in Tomsk in south western Siberia. SibEX is now an 85 percent owned subsidiary of Solagran Limited.

A medical clinic offering five-star hotel service has opened in Moscow with an eye on Russia's millionaire class.

Oriola-KD Corporation has signed an agreement to acquire a 75 percent share of the Moscow-based Russian pharmaceutical retail and wholesale companies Vitim & Co and Moron Ltd.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of “Russia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q1 2008” to their offering.

Winter flu levels have taken their toll and the rate of infection is now at epidemic levels among children under the age of 14, according to the latest figures from Moscow's health ministry, Rospotrebnadzor. Among adults, the infection rate is currently below epidemic levels, but rising.

Medical preparations made in Byelorussia are much cheaper than imported analogs as the average price of locally made finished medication is about USD0.4, four times lower than analogous imported drug's.

Russia still represents attractive opportunities for international pharmaceutical companies. It is the second largest market for pharmaceutical giant Nycomed Group.

Russia's government has submitted to the lower house of parliament a draft law for Russia to join a tobacco control convention, the State Duma said on its website Tuesday.

The cold and flu epidemic is spreading two-way in Russia, head of the World Health Organization’s National Flu Center and member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Oleg Kiselyov told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

At the time that President Vladimir Putin was addressing the mass media community at his last major news conference in his incumbent capacity, telling the audience, among other things, he does not foresee any problems in relations with his successor Dmitry Medvedev after he himself moves to the office of prime minister, Medvedev, the favorite of the current presidential race declared his program to the voters.

Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency developed a concept of the state special program on the development of nuclear medicine for fighting cancer.

The 14th International RUSSIAN PHARMACEUTICAL FORUM will take place on 20th May -22nd May 2008 in the Philharmonic Hall & The Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg

Clinical research organization PPD is buying a Russian counterpart, expanding its reach into much of eastern Europe.

Synovate Healthcare, the healthcare arm of international market research agency Synovate, has opened for business in Russia.

Russia’s current healthcare system cannot cope with the scale of what they see as a cancer epidemic in the country, a number of Russia’s top oncologists admitted at a conference in Moscow on Monday.

Russia has started to concoct a concept to defend domestic pharmaceutical companies from “unscrupulous" Western rivals, Russian daily Kommersant has reported. KBC Securities said the new pharma strategy could negatively influence those generic drug makers in Central and Eastern Europe that do not operate Russian manufacturing units like Zentiva and Krka, but would be neutral or even positive for Hungary's Richter and Egis.

Nanotechnology funding in Russia still lags behind much of the developed world, with local investment into the sector still measured in millions, rather than billions as in the U.S. and Europe. But the government is looking to change this with a new development programme for the promising sector.

Germany's Celesio is seeking a new partner in Russia after months of negotiations to buy a majority stake in Protek Holding has yielded no results, Europe's biggest drug distributor said on Friday.

Pharmaceutical Companies Face both Problems and Opportunities in Russia.

Companies Join Forces with the Prestigious Fyodorov Eye Institute to Conduct First-Of-Its-Kind Clinical Study Using Adult Stem Cells & Advanced Laser Technology for the Treatment of Macular Degeneration

One of Russia's most famous surgeons has died in Moscow. Valery Shumakov was the first to successfully perform transplant operations in the USSR. The 76-year-old was taking part in complicated operations just days before his death on Sunday.

President Vladimir Putin has returned to Moscow from the city of Penza, some 700 kilometers to the east of the Russian capital, after attending a conference on development of high-tech medical clinics in Russia.

OJSC Pharmstandard said it has signed a long-term collaboration agreement with JSC Grindeks in Latvia to exclusively distribute and promote Grindeks's' Mildronate in Russia from February 2008.

Corvalol, valocordin and other medications containing small amounts of strong and poisonous substances, will remain an over-the-counter drug, said Deputy Director of Russia's Federal Drug Control Service Alexander Fyodorov.

Russia's pharmaceutical market is set to grow 10-15 percent in 2008 and this is just a small advance compared to previous years, when the growth rate exceeded 30 percent.

The Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov emphasized that the improvement of the demographic situation is the main task of Russia’s all federal ministries in 2008. The goals set for 2008 are tough, and the most important goal is to improve the demographic situation, Zubkov declared at a meeting of the Cabinet on Thursday.

Bird flu cases have been registered in ten countries worldwide so far this month, Russia's agricultural watchdog said on Wednesday.

Russia in its 2008-2010 federal budget will allocate one billion roubles, or about $41 million, for HIV/AIDS vaccine research, as well as to improve HIV/AIDS monitoring and control center logistics.

Measures taken under the national health project lead to a 8% rise in the birth rate and about 33% decline in the natural loss of people, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting of the council under the Russian presidential envoy in the North-Western Federal District that was devoted to some progress achieved under the national health project.

The leading market research firm RNCOS has recently released its new report on the thriving pharmaceutical market of Russia. Titled “Russian Pharma Sector Analysis ( 2007 )”, the report provides an extensive research and objective analysis on the growing demand of pharmaceuticals in the country and presents a clear picture of its healthcare and pharmaceutical market.

The Russian government has decided to completely ban tobacco advertizing, by signing up to a World Health Organization anti-smoking convention.

The Directors of Solagran Limited are pleased to announce that the Russian Agency for Patents and Trademarks has accepted a patent application submitted by Solagran covering the use of Bioeffective(r) A in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. If awarded, the priority date for this patent will be 26 December, 2007.

Russia’s Novosibirsk region in southwestern Siberia is about half the size of Germany. Scientists in one of the institutes here are creating the next generation of modern medicine: tablets to prevent and treat strokes and heart attacks, insulin treatments for diabetics that avoid the need for painful injections.

Akonit, a pharmaceutical holding, aimed at retail business. In 2008 the company plans to open 20 drugstores under Shipovnik brand. Ten of them are to be located in Saint Petersburg.

A total of three billion rubles ($122.5 million) will be allocated for constructing a federal trauma and orthopedic center in Vladivostok, the most up-to-date medical institution of its kind in the Russian Far East, a press statement from the regional administration said.

Lack of funding does not prevent Russian research fellows from creating new pharmaceuticals, diagnosis techniques and medical instruments.

Today the first in Russia medical centre for Muslims is opening in Moscow. Here Muslims will be able to get medical care in accordance with all Islamic laws of the Sharia. First of all this will concern separate services for men and women. In this clinic men will be examined only by male doctors, and women – by female doctors.

The proceeds of the Open Society "Pharmstandart" under ISFA in January-September, 2007 have grown up 53% to 7.755 mlrd rbl. from 5.08 mlrd rbl. in the similar period of the last year.

Russian health and drugstore chain Pharmacy 36.6 on Wednesday posted a nine-month net loss of $41.9 million compared with a net profit of $41.5 million in the same period a year ago.

Last week, top Russian health official Gennadi Onishchenko accused UNAIDS, the UN agency charged with coordinating the fight against AIDS, of publishing "incorrect" figures regarding the number of HIV-positive people in Russia.

Russian Sverdlovsk region now hosts “MedSynthesis” plant, which is the first in Russia to produce ready-to-use forms of recombinant human insulin according GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards.

The Bulgarian drug maker, Sopharma is to acquire the Ukrainian pharmaceutical manufacturer, Vitamini. The transaction fills into Sopharma’s expansion strategy to increase its shares in the Russian, Ukrainian and Polish markets.

Pharmaceutical packaging specialist Schott has announced plans to head to Russia and establish its first pharma production site in the country.

Pharmaceutical company Sopharma has signed a contract to buy Ukrainian pharmaceutical plant Vitamini, Sofia Stock Exchange announced.

These acquisitions will make Gedeon Richter the largest pharmaceuticals producers in Central and Eastern Europe, with capitalization of $5.4 billion. On the Russian market, it will have a 4.1-percent market share, and a rank of third, after the French Sanofi-Aventis and Swiss Novartis.

Hungarian drug maker Gedeon Richter Nyrt said it will combine with Polpharma in a deal that values the Polish company at 1.3 bln usd while acquiring a majority stake in Russian Akrihin in an equity deal worth 128 mln usd.

A criminal case against a group of high- ranking executives of the Bryntsalov-A company has been forwarded to a court.

Russian health and drugstore chain 36.6 said on Wednesday its nine-month consolidated sales rose by 70.6 percent year-on-year to $592 million.

Russian pharmacy chain 36.6 said it had raised about $115 million in a share issue to fund expansion and increase its free float.

Russia’s Health and Social Development Ministry will focus in 2008 on elaborating the Strategy for Healthcare Development in 2009 through 2019. The document will set forth material growth in medical spending and the program of medical reforms to be carried out in 2009 through 2012.

The report - “Russian Pharma Sector Analysis (2007)” - provides an extensive research and objective analysis on the growing demand of pharmaceuticals in Russia and presents a clear picture of the country’s healthcare and pharmaceutical market.

Russian diversified company Sistema said on Tuesday it planned to invest about $100 million a year until 2011 in expanding its healthcare services.

Richard Holbrooke - president of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations - on Thursday said that Russia is losing the battle against HIV/AIDS because of government inaction and a lack of public awareness about the disease.

ERGOMED Group, a specialised international clinical development company, today announced that it has opened a new facility in Russia. At the same time, ERGOMED is appointing Dr. Sergei Drapkin as the Managing Director for the Russian office.

Pharmacy chain 36.6, the country's largest drugstore chain, plans to raise $112 million in a secondary share sale to fund store openings and acquisitions.

In medicine synchrotron radiation can help diagnose the early stage of disease and during treatment transport medicines to the relevant organ.

Not content with writing off debt from poor countries, Russia is now helping to get rid of Malaria in Africa. It's committed $US 20 MLN to the task, after being approached by the World Bank.

“We brought new modern technologies, types and methods of the struggle with drug addiction among young people,” said Lieu.-Gen. Alexander Mikhailov, the chief of the department of interdepartmental relations of the Federal Drug Control Service.

U.S. TPG Capital is willing to buy out over 50 percent in SIA International, the biggest pharmaceutical distributor of Russia. SIA International is looking for a buyer in the wake of the scandal with the program of additional medicine supplies.

Celesio and Protek Group agree to negotiations regarding a majority stake in Protek Group.

Scientists working on the Soviet space programme made several medical breakthroughs that are only now benefiting ordinary Russians. Space treatments for a variety of complaints from paralysis to lung disease have been rolled out across Russia's health service.

The authorities have been talking a lot about raising the country's birthrate to deal with the population decline. A special federal benefit program was set up this year to allocate about $10,000 for women who give birth to a second child. In addition, prenatal programs have been expanded on a national level.

Russia’s Tver Region is located between the country's two largest cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg, but like in many other areas in Russia, its population is declining due to fewer births, high death rates and low life expectancy.

A working group was set up at the Federal Health and Social Development Supervision Service (Roszdravnadzor) yesterday to draft amendments to the law “On Medicinal Substances” to allow the testing of medicines on children in Russia.

Piribo, the online destination for business intelligence for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has added a new report on the latest developments in the Russian over-the-counter (OTC) drug market, highlighting the contribution of food supplements to the growing market.

ACM-Pivotal, the global central laboratory that defines the client-service standard with its inherently flexible approach, celebrates its seventh anniversary of providing central lab services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as contract research organizations (CROs), conducting clinical trials throughout Eastern Europe.

Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov believes that building up the domestic pharmaceutical industry is a priority for the national policy, he said at a meeting with the Penza region administration.

Already in two years, Russia will probably make a revolution in the fight against bird flu, by creating vaccine for wild birds, Nikolay Vlasov from Russia's animal and plant health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor told RIA Novosti Tuesday.

President Vladimir Putin named a new government Monday, tapping new economics and health ministers and retaining his foreign and defense ministers in an expected but largely cosmetic shuffle before parliamentary and presidential elections.

Based on the results of inspection carried out by a German competent body, the production and quality assurance system at NIZHPHARM were recognized as complying with the corresponding European quality standards GMP.

According to the latest PMR report, “The OTC market in Russia 2007”, the Russian OTC market will double in value by 2012, to $7bn. Its robust growth will be fuelled by rising domestic demand for OTC products, the growing purchasing power of Russian consumers, and upbeat forecasts for the Russian economy in the near future.

Cisco, EMC, Intel and Agfa have formed an alliance in Russia, which is to facilitate to the development and implementation of modern IT in healthcare. They believe the given branch IT usage potential is high.

Pharmstandard, the largest Russian pharmaceuticals company operating in the domestic market, said earnings rose to 962 million roubles ($37.96 million).

This is the first part of a series examining the results of the last eight years in various spheres of Russian life. The first article will discuss the social situation in the county; subsequent articles will address education, the army, governance, health care etc.

The Dallas-based consumer products giant announced plans this week to build a new diaper plant at Stupino, an industrial city of about 75,000 people within 60 miles of Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday nominated Zubkov, the little-known head of a money laundering watchdog, as the new premier in a move that confounded analysts who had expected a political heavyweight to be named.

Synergy Research Group (SynRG), a Russia-based CRO with more than 5-years experience in clinical trials in Russia announced the establishment of a new CRO Worldwide Network alliance with Neeman Medical International (NMI).

A Russia first deputy prime minister said Tuesday he would not rule out splitting the Health and Social Development Ministry into two departments after the 2008 presidential elections.

When visiting Obninsk-town Friday, PM Mikhail Fradkov actually confirmed plans to reform the cabinet this fall. The reorganization is most probable for Mikhail Zurabov’s Health and Social Development Ministry.

An official permission allowing the transplants of children’s organs may be adopted in Russia by the end of this year. The Ministry of Health and Social Development is expected to have a relevant instruction ready within months.

Experts at the federal service say that the so-called “blood service,” a division of the Ministry of Health and Social Development, is on the brink of paralysis. They note that the current situation is to the advantage of the black market, worth millions of dollars.

The net loss of the Pharmacy Chain 36.6 under IFRS amounted to $16.9 in the first half of 2007, compared to a $49.5m net profit posted for the first six months in 2006, the company reported.

Lilly scientists tested LY2140023 on nearly 200 adults with schizophrenia in Russian mental institutions.

Veropharm, the drug-making unit of pharmacy chain 36.6, said Monday that first-half profit rose 48 percent as higher incomes enabled people to buy more pharmaceutical products.

Nizpharm, a subsidiary of German pharmaceutical company STADA, has closed a deal to buy 100% stakes in Russian pharmaceutical companies Makiz-Pharma, Skopinpharm and Biodyne Pharmaceuticals for 125 million euros, Nizhpharm Chief Executive Dmitry Efimov said at a news conference Monday.

A one-day workshop geared towards clarifying the full potential of Russia’s nutritional market for foreign companies will be held in Washington DC next month.

The Novosibirsk pharmacy chain Melodia Zdorovya has entered the Samara and Saratov provinces and announced its intention to expand into the Volga federal district.

The auto race is a large preventive action, held in the framework of the national project "Health" with the purpose of prophylaxis of the HIV-infection among Russian youth.

SIA International, a major Russian pharmaceuticals distributor, is close to the conclusion of negotiations with Roman Abramovich's Millhouse Capital on the sale of its business.

Russia's largest medicines distributor SIA International is close to selling its business.

Akrikhin, a Russian drug maker controlled by the Polish Polpharma, recorded a RUB 80.493m (?2.3m) net loss in the first half of 2007, as against a RUB 74.008m (?2.1m) net profit last year.

Logoisk-based pharmaceutical company Lekpharm has shipped the first batch of Belarus-made nitroglycerine to Azerbaijan. In the near future Lekpharm plans to start regular trade with Azerbaijan as well as Moldova and Kazakhstan, Lekpharm CEO Boleslav Voronetsky told BelTA.

The aftereffect of scandals triggered by collapse of the program for additional medicament supply is that some state-run distributor will be set up to deal with the purchase of medicine. It emerged that the government’s Pharmaceutical Logistic Complex will probably acquire the monopoly rights for buying medicaments.

The board of directors of the National Innovation Fund has recommended to finance the production of a new high-technology medicinal product Rihlokain in Pavlodar.

Russian prosecutors said they have charged Vitaly Smerdov, the head of the Protek pharmaceutical company, with bribing health insurance officials to receive sales licenses.

Pharmacy Chain 36.6 plans to expand its pharmacy network to 1,450 outlets across Russia by December 2007 and continue establishing 500 retail outlets annually until 2009, the company's Director for Corporate Cinance and Investor Relations Maxim Arkhipov told a press conference.

Director of the Russian Healthcare Foundation Dmitry Golayev cited at a press conference this statistics of the Ministry of Health and Social Development on Wednesday.

OJSC Pharmstandard said it has signed a product licence and manufacturing agreement with France-based Solvay Pharma SAS, a subsidiary of Solvay Pharmaceuticals.

Melbourne based Biotech Solagran Limited (ASX: SLA) today announced that arrangements were being put in place in St Petersburg to supply patients outside Russia with its liver disease drug Ropren, consistent with international regulatory guidelines.

According to the financial figures published by STADA ARZNEIMITTEL AG, the strong growth of the Group in sales and earnings has continued in the first half of 2007.

It is one of the hardest regions in Russia to access, but now medical assistance is being flown into the mountains of Dagestan to help those in need.

Pharmacy Chain 36.6, Russia’s largest drugstore company, said first-half sales rose 77 percent as new stores opened across the country and consumers spent more money on medicines and personal-care products.

A monument to a renowned Russian eye surgeon, Svyatoslav Fyodorov, who would have turned 80 today, is due to be unveiled in Moscow. His pioneering techniques helped restore the sight of thousands of people across the world.

Hungarian drug-maker Egis is expecting 9-10 pct sales growth in its Russian market, confirmed CFO Laszlo Marosffy after third quarter results showed strong performance in the CIS and Russia.

Antigenics Inc., the developer of an immune-stimulating drug against kidney cancer, asked Russian regulators to approve its therapy, after a study failed to meet the statistical standard in the United States.

Scientists estimate that soon three quarters of the world's population will depend on plants for medicine. But correctly classifying them can take years and, according to a group of Russian students, is far from foolproof. Now, their pioneering efforts could change the face of botanical medicine.

On August 3, 2007, STADA acquired the Russian pharmaceuticals group MAKIZ via a contract on the purchase of respectively 100% of the shares in the companies ZAO MAKIZ-Pharma, ZAO Skopinpharm and ZAO Biodyne Pharmaceuticals, which was concluded by STADA’s Russian subsidiary Nizhpharm OAO, Nizhny Novgorod.

Veropharm is one of Russian leading pharmaceutical manufactures. It produces above 180 pharmaceuticals, as well as medical plasters of more than 100 kinds. The Company's production facilities are situated in Belgorod, Voronezh and Pokrov (Vladimir Region).

Gedeon Richter, Hungary's leading pharmaceutical company, will not change its target for domestic sales in 2007 and still expects a 20% year-on-year decline (in forint), Chief Executive Officer Erik Bogsch told a press conference.

New data show Russia's clinical trials industry may have been impacted by the recent temporary biologics ban. Meanwhile the country is attempting to introduce tighter clinical trial regulations.

The Bench of 36.6 Pharmacy Chain approved the decision to place the additional issue, said in the company's announcement. The issue includes 1.5 mil common shares at 0.64 rub par value.

Four executives at Bryntsalov-A, a pharmaceuticals firm whose practices have been widely blamed for holding up the country's WTO accession, were charged with fraud over copyright violations and illegal sales of medical alcohol, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.

36,6, the largest pharmacy chain in Russia, seems to become a really huge player. The company unveiled purchasing of four regional pharmacy chains at $30 mln.

Pharmaceuticals imports in Russia fell in the first five months of the year, for the first time since 1998, reports industry agency DSM Group.

In the 2nd Quarter of 2007, The Federal Agency for Health Care and Social Development (Roszdravnadzor, or RZN) issued 114 permits to conduct clinical trials in Russia. This is 13% as low as in the second Quarter last year.

U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is likely either to build a plant in Russia or to buy a profile player. The analysts forecast Pfizer to follow the example of French Servier and construct a plant from scratch, as it will cost half as much to the company.

Bangkok hosted the second session of Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC.

A shortage of families willing to help orphaned children is slowing Russia’s progress in addressing a high rate of HIV and AIDS. A new generation of victims is emerging, as many HIV-positive children are abandoned or orphaned by their parents.

A growing number of Russian families have given birth to a second child in recent months leading to noticeable improvements in Russia's demographic situation, the country's health minister told President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

Australian Biotech Solagran Limited received formal documentation from the Russian Ministry of Heath advising that pharmaceutical registration of both its substance Bioeffective® R and the associated medicine Ropren has been finalised.

St. Petersburg's City Hall has earmarked 5.2 billion rubles ($ 2 million) for a cancer prevention campaign.

At present, child donors are prohibited, but the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia plans to legalize such operations next year.

The device has been tested in over 7000 surgical operations in the Ukraine and has now been approved for use in Russia, giving the go-ahead for commercial production.

The lower house of Russia's parliament Wednesday adopted a law on establishing a Russian nanotechnology corporation.

France's largest independent drug company Servier has invested ?40m in a new tablet producing factory in Russia to meet demand from the local market.

The transfer of production to Russia is supposed to help the French gain a stronger foothold in the Russian state-run drug program, experts say.

The United Nation’s estimates saying that Russia ranks world’ s fifth and the EU’s second after Turkey in seizing heroine.

Sales in Russia, which is Krka's largest market, were unchanged due to a cut in Russian state spending for pharmaceuticals.

During the Soviet era, the word "psychotherapy" carried the stigma of mental illness, or, worse, with "psikhushki," Soviet-era prison-like mental health facilities where dissidents were locked up for years.

Health officials said that they wanted to introduce tougher rules for clinical drug trials after a scandal involving vaccine tests by GlaxoSmithKline earlier this year.

New Regulations Being Developed for Clinical Drug Trials in Russia.

GLOBAL pharmaceutical sales are expected to double to around £660 billion by 2020, according to a new report from business services group PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

After a ban of two weeks, Russia’s Health Ministry and Federal Customs Service have finally OKed frontier crossing for biological samples.

A drug long used as an antihistamine in Russia is showing what some scientists characterize as surprisingly strong results in treating Alzheimer's disease.

The growth in the number of clinical trials approved by the Russian Federal Agency for Health Care and Social Development (Roszdravnadzor) made up to nearly 40% in the 1st Quarter of 2007.

Just as the clinical trials sector in Russia is starting  to take off, the industry has been dealt a severe blow with the sudden and indefinite banning of biological sample exports.

The Latvia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Provides Independent Forecasts And Competitive Intelligence On Latvia's Pharmaceuticals Healthcare Industry.

Characterization of the Russian pharmaceutical market was made at the 13th annual conference 'Pharmaceutical Market and Health Protection in Russia'.

Hetero Drugs, the Hyderabad-based active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosages manufacturer, has set up an equal stakes joint venture with Russian pharmaceutical major Makiz Pharma.

Veropharm signed an agreement with Central-Chernozemic bank of Sberbank on loaning a 10 mil rub overdraft credit under 10.5% per annum, said in the company's announcement.

The pharmacy chain Pharmacor announced that in 2007 it is to focus on expanding in the provinces. At the beginning of this year new Pharmacor outlets opened in six regional centres: Syktyvkar, Lipetsk, Kirov, Oryol, Rostov-on-Don and Perm.

The Board of Solagran Limited is pleased to announce that two Directors will depart today for a month in Russia and Hungary to lock in a number of initiatives that will be key to the next stage of Solagran's strategic development.

Pharmstandard [RTS: PHST], one of Russia's leading pharmaceutical companies, said Friday it set a price of $58.2 per share for its initial public offering which hit $880 million.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Russia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q4 2006 to their offering.

Czech firms signed two contracts worth a total of EUR130m (roughly Kc3.7bn) in the Russian region of Tatarstan today in the presence of Czech President Vaclav Klaus and his Tatarstan counterpart Mintimer Shaimiev.

The State Duma will examine plans to stiffen penalties for manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit pharmaceuticals Friday, one of the sponsors of the proposed bill said Thursday.

Dr. Wong successfully developed a healthcare prevention program in Vladivostok, Russia through a USAID grant to address general vaccination strategies, blood borne pathogens, and hospital-borne infections.

His father says there was one condition - that his treatment could be filmed for a feel-good story by a local television station about the charitable operation.

The full documents (pdf files), released by EC on January 26 2007, are available to download from Remedium.ru.

An association of former Chernobyl cleanup workers is expected to be founded at a May 27 conference in Minsk.

Gubernskie Apteki state-owned pharmaceutical enterprise and the regional healthcare agency will represent the Krasnoyarsk territory at the III All-Russian forum "The health of the nation is the basis of prosperity of Russia".

Russia's Ministry of Health and Social Development will cease to exist in its current form and the minister will step down, parliament's lower house speaker said Thursday.

The lower house of Russia's parliament could submit to the Russian prime minister its proposal to divide the Health Ministry into two bodies without dismissing Health Minister Mikhail Zurabov.

The Botkin Infectious Disease Hospital on Thursday opened a state-funded consultancy center for HIV-positive people and their relatives in an effort to overcome the social isolation associated with the disease and provide patients with timely and adequate treatment.

Pharmacy Chain 36.6 was founded in July of 2002. It is one of the leading Russian producers and retailers of pharmaceutical preparations and drugs. It holds 51% of Veropharm OJSC.

Experts characterize that informational component of the national project as an attempt at “illegal and unethical promotion” of medicines without the participation of doctors.

The head of Russia's service overseeing healthcare and social development, Ramil Khabriyev, has been dismissed over the shortage of prescription drugs, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said Monday.

Russian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into vaccine trials by British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC that were allegedly conducted on children without parents' permission.

Gubernskie Apteki, a state-owned pharmaceutical network, has worked out a multi-level system to rule out the sale of counterfeit medicines in the company's drugstores, Gubernskie Apteki Director General Vadim Yudin announced.

Shares of not-yet-created company are offered to Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis. A holding which will unite the state assets in pharmaceutical industry will be created by December 1, according to the project documents.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said drugmakers such as Johnson & Johnson and Novartis AG are making too much money on the state’s $1.3 bln (?0.75 bln) subsidized-medicine program and called for curbs on their "appetites."

Health Tech Corporation (HTC), an international holding announces the sale of strategic stake in the Russian pharmaceutical company JSC“Akrihin” to the Polish pharmaceutical company Polpharma.

Over 2,847 emergency situations were registered in Russia last year, including 2,541 man-made disasters, 261 natural calamities, 44 bio-social disasters, and one major terrorist attack.

Milos Petrovic of Roche expressed the opinion that nobody entered the Russian Federation with a real marketing strategy until about 1996.

About 16 million Russian suffer from cardiovascular diseases, placing Russia second in the world, after Ukraine, in this respect.

The pharmacy sector of Russian pharmaceutical market grew by 29% to $6.6 billion, says RMBC.

Farmakor CJSC has invested above RUB 4.5 mln in three new drugstores in St. Petersburg, the company says.

"The Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Sector in Russia" conference will take place from 22nd - 24th May 2007 in St. Petersburg.

In Russia oral care products make a substantial contribution to beauty industry. Oral care together with perfumery and make-up products are among the most popular cosmetics.

The indices of the disease incidence are 48.6% below the epidemic threshold in different age groups, and flu accounts for only 0.4% of sickness incidence in Moscow.

The yellow-orange snow that fell in West Siberian regions Wednesday contained no toxic substances and its color was the result of a sand storm in neighboring Kazakhstan.

Egis Nyrt and Gedeon Richter Nyrt, Hungary's biggest drugmakers, saw sales to Russia's state medicines program drop in the Q3, months before the country ended subsidies for some of their products.

As a result of changes in the rates of basic currencies the market grew at 32% in EURO and 26% in ruble equivalent.

The goods turnover of the company exceeded 500 mln. rubles. The goods turnover growth made up over 70% as compared to 2005.

The Moscow City Court has upheld an order by a lower court that 3 former managers of the Mandatory Medical Insurance Fund be taken into custody.

Reacting to scathing criticism of a new HIV treatment program, Russia’s deputy health minister said his agency "will keep on encouraging companies which set up production in Russia".

Russia's President Vladimir Putin called a rapid trend of getting older by Russian people an alarming demographic factor.

Russian scientists have performed trials of an innovative treating agent, which brings new hopes to curing hemophilia.

Health Ministry issued an order concerning new standards of HIV treatment.

Lugovoi was questioned Monday but refused to reveal the questions he was asked, only saying he was questioned as a witness, not as a suspect.

"ELC is above all else based on that humane concept of a ‘happy childhood’, of creating an atmosphere of fun and goodwill. This is a new format for the Russian market for children’s goods: you can come and play with your child right here in the store.

"This resolution obligates all regional administrations, including those in the Crimea and Sevastopol, to promote the establishment of local councils to this effect," Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Tabachnik said.

British detectives have questioned a Russian businessman who entertained Alexander Litvinenko in a London hotel on the day the former spy fell ill.

One of the most secretive companies on the Russian pharmaceutical market Pharmstandard posted on Tuesday its financial performance under international standards.

The decision was made at the meeting of regional drugstores directors and Legislative Assembly deputies held by Gubernskie Apteki Director-General Vadim Yudin.

The head of Russia's union of wine and spirits producers has called on the country's lawmakers to legislate for the introduction of "people's vodka".

The budget for treatment of HIV and AIDS has been doubled in Russia, but patients are complaining they still do not have access to adequate treatment.

The Kremlin was at the centre of another poison mystery last night after the family of a Russian former Prime Minister claimed that he had been struck down by unknown toxins.

The recent death of a former Russian intelligence agent, Alexander Litvinenko, apparently after being poisoned with polonium-210, raises three interesting questions.

British scientists probing the death of Alexander Litvinenko said on Friday that two more people had been contaminated with the same radioactive poison that killed the former Russian spy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the problems existing in the mandatory medical insurance fund and demands the Health Ministry should strictly control the way budget money is spent.

The post-mortem and forensic examination of Russian ex-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko's body are scheduled for December 1, British TV channel Sky News said Tuesday.

At least five million women in Russia suffer from manic-depressive disorders that need correction, Professor Yuri Vasyuk told on Wednesday a news conference at Itar-Tass on problems of women’s health.

Boots, the leading retailer of health and beauty products from the United Kingdom, and its exclusive distributor Pharmacy Chain 36.6 take stock of the first year of operations on the Russian market and launch a number of new brands.

Generic drug company Actavis has acquired a 51% controlling interest in ZiO Zdorovje, a Russian pharmaceutical manufacturer.

A shifty world of counterfeiters and payoffs is slowly giving way to an environment in which Western firms are pleased to take part.

The end of the Soviet health care system is among the factors contributing to steep drop in Russia's population.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office suspects Andrei Taranov and his deputy Dmitry Usenko of bribery and abuse of office.

Scientists have identified a genetic defect in some people who have trouble growing hair, opening a new avenue for research on treatments for baldness, according to a study in tomorrow's edition of the journal Science.

The current Russian policy of providing ART to individuals who do not inject drugs does not make any public health, or economic sense, according to a study published in the November 14th edition of AIDS.

In the total amount of body care products sold in 2005 the major part – 43.8% - was reported by hand care. People are still not used to everyday body pampering.

To combat the country's HIV/AIDS epidemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a twentyfold increase in funding this year, which will provide $120 million for HIV/AIDS treatment.

The Kronos-powered Tree(tm) air purification device, designed and manufactured by Kronos' Russian partner EOL, LLC, has passed its final clinical trial and has been approved by the Russian Research Institute of Medical Equipment for use in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Russian daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday, Nov. 8, that Ingosstrakh insurance company will pay out the largest insurance claim in all history of Russian insurance market.

Under the agreement, the chain will open 20 pharmacies in Paterson’s Moscow supermarkets, six of which will open this year.

Pharmstandard, Russia's biggest pharmaceutical company, said it plans to sell its shares on the London Stock Exchange as part of an initial public offering (IPO) planned for the end of 2006.

Pharmacy Chain 36.6 has purchased a franchise from UK’s Early Learning Centre (ELC) brand.

Pharmacy Chain 36.6 OJSC will release its January-September consolidated financial results under IFRS on November 23, the Company says.

Pharmaceutical giant Pharmacy Chain 36.6 plans to double the number of stores in its retail chain to 900 in 2006. Of these, 320 outlets will be located in Moscow.

It would be wrong to speak of competition between state and private medical care. What competition can there be between something free and bad, and something expensive and good?

Newer antidepressants, already suspected of raising the risk of suicide, may also cause a few people to become violent, researchers reported recently.

Pharmacy Chain 36.6 said it had acquired the Moscow-based European Medical Center, working in four areas, medicine, surgery, dentistry and laboratory studies.

According to the results for the first half of this year, the company has managed not only to keep its place among the three regional leaders but also to go two lines up in top 25.

Dr. Boris Merkeshkin, the chief physician at a large research hospital in Siberia, and his colleagues had unknowingly administered roughly 3,000 doses of fake Cavinton.

Pharmacy Chain 36.6 reported an upsurge in its consolidated net profit under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) to $49.5m in the first half of 2006 from a $2.5m net loss a year earlier.

Doctors in Russia are wonderful, and if their salaries are raised and they are given modern equipment—as proposed under the national projects—then we’ll manage to survive.

State enterprise "Gubernskie Apteki" took part in the first international exhibition fair of scientific and technological achievements that was held in Harbin.

In the I half of 2006, Veropharm OJSC net income under IFRS grew by 28.2% to $7.5 mln from $5.8 mln for the same period of last year, the Company says.

Ranbaxy Laboratories is believed to be in advanced stages of negotiations to acquire Russian generic drugs maker Akrikhin for an estimated consideration of USD 100 million.

The first pharmaceutical museum opened in the center of Krasnoyarsk in Chemist's №1. Residents and guests of Krasnoyarsk will be able to see interior things.

Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's chief physician, on Thursday at an HIV/AIDS conference in Moscow expressed concern about the spread of HIV among women and mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

An anti drug and alcohol project has been put in place thanks to the collaboration of SUAL Holding, the Ural Technical University and local NGOs.

Russia expressed hope that the fund created for the development of vaccines against dangerous diseases will become operational by the end of 2006.

Business Report on the first three months of 2006.

For 30 years, a team of scientists from St-Petersburg and Yekaterinburg (Russia) has been developing a medicine supposed to be applied against all known types of viruses. But the preparation appears fit for fighting bird flu as well.

The Indian pharmaceutical giant buys Romanian and Belgian generic drug companies.

Shares in Boots, the UK health and beauty chain, rose 3.2 per cent in morning trade on Thursday after it reported stronger than expected sales for the fourth quarter of the year and said it was planning to cut prices on 1,000 products.

In Russia, following the acquisition of Nizhpharm at the beginning of the year 2005, STADA was able to post sales of EUR 56.6 million. As compared to the sales in 2004, Nizhpharm was thereby able to raise sales by 40%.

Worldwide sales of prescription medicines worldwide rose 7%. The United States still accounts for the lion's share of that, but emerging markets such as China, Russia, South Korea and Mexico outpaced those markets, growing a whopping 81%.

Tamro has increased its ownership in Russia’s third largest pharmaceutical wholesaler ZAO Rosta to 42,5%. Previously Tamro owned a 18% share in the company. The deal is pending approval from Russian competition authorities.

bioRASI is performing compliance audits at sites, clinical laboratories, and data management facilities for ongoing clinical trials across the globe from Eastern Europe and Asia to North America.

The Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO) will organise multi-product exhibitions at Moscow and St Petersburg during May-June '06.

The global vaccine market has demonstrated an attractive growth rate in recent years, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.3% between 1999 and 2004.

Iceland's Actavis Group has made a buy-up offer on Croatia's generic pharmaceutical company Pliva, a sector peer of Hungary's Richter and Egis.

Healthcare giant Alliance UniChem pulled out a healthy set of full year earnings and is confident about future trading.

Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. announced the opening of Chiesi Pharmaceuticals LLC, its new affiliate headquartered in Moscow, and the formation of a joint venture in The Netherlands.

The Russian pharmaceutical market may have grown 43% to $6.5 billion in 2005, the Remedium group of companies said in data presented at an Interfax press conference on Wednesday.

This year companies domiciled in the former Soviet Union have raised more than £1.5bn from share issues through the London Stock Exchange and the Alternative Investment Market. Last year, the figure was £45bn.

The company has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding or MoU with a Russian firm to supply approximately 150 MT of films per month for next three years.

Banks, pharmaceutical companies and some of Hungary’s IT pioneers were among the strongest performers in 2005, it was revealed last week as publicly listed enterprises submitted their obligatory annual reports.

Alliance UniChem has reached an agreement to acquire a 96% controlling stake in Russia's A.P. Apteka Holding Ltd, for approximately GBP18 million.

Significant increase in sales, strengthening of the equity base and a drastic cutback in debt – the pharmaceutical and diagnostics company Biotest met all of its major targets in financial year 2005.