On March 12, the BRICS Working Group for the Research of Competition Issues in Pharmaceutical Markets held a meeting at the Educational and Methodological Center of the FAS Russia in Kazan (Russia). The topic of the event: “Ensuring access to biosimilars for developing countries.” The event was held in the framework of the international roundtable “Development of Competition in Pharmaceutical Markets.”
Bioanalogs are generics of original biological drugs that can significantly improve the lives of people with a number of serious diseases. These include cancer, endocrine, autoimmune and other diseases that were previously poorly treatable. Bioanalogs are not completely identical to the originals, but their effectiveness and safety are preserved under strict quality control.
At the same time, biosimilars are much cheaper to produce than the original drugs and are more accessible to patients and health care systems. In some cases, biosimilars can reduce the price of innovative medicines by 70-90%.
The production of biosimilars is of strategic importance for the health care and economic security of BRICS countries and other developing countries. The development of domestic production of biosimilars will reduce dependence on expensive imported drugs and stimulate scientific and technological progress. In addition, biosimilars can make countries more resilient to global crises such as pandemics, ensuring a stable supply of life-saving drugs and reducing risks associated with political or trade barriers.
The meeting participants considered ways to improve access to biologics and biosimilars in the BRICS+ countries and discussed the first results of a joint study by the Centre and BRICS+ partners, which compares the rules for bringing biotech drugs to the BRICS+ market.
Moderator:
- Alexey Ivanov, Director, HSE-Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development, BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre
Speakers:
- Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia;
- Timofey Nizhegorodtsev, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia;
- Vitor Henrique Pinto Ido, Professor of Commercial Law, University of São Paulo;
- Samir Kulkarni, Professor at Mumbai Institute of Chemical Technology;
- Mrudula Bele, Professor at MVP Samaj College of Pharmacy;
- Vladimir Andrianov, Partner Relations Director, R-Pharm.