Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a series of orders regarding assistance to cancer patients. The head of the Cabinet did this following a meeting on improving cancer care.

So, before March 12, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Federal Antimonopoly Service should submit proposals on the possibility of lifting restrictions on public procurement of a number of drugs "used for socially significant diseases."

“(Instructions are given. - RT ) to submit proposals on the possibility of lifting restrictions on certain drugs used for socially significant diseases, stipulated by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 30, 2015 No. 1289“ On restrictions and conditions for admission of drugs originating from foreign countries included in the list of vital and essential medicines for procurement purposes to ensure state and municipal well railway, ”the order says.

At the same time, Roszdravnadzor should conduct a comparative analysis of the drugs reproduced in Russia for the treatment of oncological diseases with their originals and report to the government about the results by April 14.

Roszdravnadzor was also instructed to monitor the situation in the market with medicines for cancer children and to promptly inform the leadership of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Health and doctors of specialized hospitals.

During the meeting, Mishustin noted that the necessary medicines should always be available to patients.

“It is very important that the necessary medicines are always available for patients. You know, parents of seriously ill children complain that the necessary drugs are often not enough. This is largely due to the fact that we do not yet have a single federal body that would monitor, monitor the situation - are there enough vital drugs on the market, ”he explained.

  • Meeting on improving cancer care
  • © government.ru

Work on improving the quality of Russian drugs will continue, but the priority should not be the country of origin of the drug, but its effectiveness, the head of government added.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance were also instructed to submit proposals on amendments to the legislation that would enable the patient to continue using the specific drug that was prescribed and used in the hospital on an outpatient basis.

In addition, the Ministry of Health should speed up work on the approval of new clinical recommendations on cancer developed by professional medical organizations, and the publication of data on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Health on the Internet, as well as their communication to oncologists.

The deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection Leonid Ogul, in a conversation with RT, called these measures "the right decision." He added that this is the "first step" to ensure the availability of drugs for the treatment of cancer patients, but similar steps must be taken with regard to other diseases. "

“I can say that, of course, this issue is very relevant, given that oncological diseases require very quick treatment. As practice has shown, not all entities have enough medicines, ”the deputy explained.

The problem of drug supply for cancer patients needs attention, because “the basic drugs have virtually disappeared from the market,” Igor Dolgopolov, MD, oncologist at the Blokhin Center, told RT.

“This is not the first attempt to systematize the drug market ... The task here is not to systematize the drug market, but to systematize their admission to the hospital and their accessibility for patients ... There is a problem of waiting time for help. The cancer patient is being examined for two to three weeks, during which time the tumor grows, ”the doctor added.

At the end of December 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal law authorizing the importation into Russia of unregistered medicines that contain narcotic or psychotropic substances to provide medical care to certain patients.

The law enters into force on March 1, 2020, and, as stated in the explanation, establishes the possibility of importing into Russia a specific batch of unregistered drugs to provide medical care according to the vital indications of a particular patient or group of patients, if there is a decision of the medical commission. The basis for the purchase of this category of drugs will be the decision of the medical commission of the medical institution that the drugs registered in Russia are ineffective in treating a particular patient.

In early January, Dmitry Medvedev, who was then prime minister, signed an order to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, according to which departments should prepare a draft resolution on the allocation of up to 22 million rubles for the purchase of foreign drugs needed to treat children with severe chronic diseases.