Industry and Trade Minister names main importers of Russian medicines

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Kazakhstan, Belarus, Turkey, Algeria, Armenia, and several other countries are the main buyers of Russian medicines, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov told TASS in an interview. "The main buyers of Russian medicines include Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Algeria, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, and Tajikistan," he said. Together with other interested federal government agencies the Industry and Trade Ministry has compiled a list of 46 countries promising for the export of domestic medicines, the minister said. It would be advisable to work with them, among other things, on mutual recognition of certificates of conformity of medicine production with the Good Manufacturing Practices of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), he added. "This list includes countries of the EAEU, the CIS, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa," Alikhanov stated. Based on this list, the ministry is working to harmonize regulatory requirements to reduce barriers for Russian manufacturers entering foreign markets. In particular, Russia has signed roadmaps for assessing and harmonizing regulatory frameworks in the area of good manufacturing practices with regulators in Uzbekistan and Cuba, as well as a memorandum of understanding between the Industry and Trade Ministry and the UAE pharmaceutical authority to strengthen cooperation in regulating the circulation of medical products.